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A study presented by The Abraham Fund Initiatives at today’s Knesset Education Committee meeting indicates that over one million of Israel’s Arab citizens are unable to access basic government services online in Arabic, which is one of the country’s official languages. The discussion, led by MK Masud Ganaim, was held in commemoration of "International Mother Language Day", and focused on the status of the Arab language in Israel.
According to the findings of this study, the following nine government websites do not contain a single word in Arabic: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Welfare and Social Services, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Religion, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Immigration Absorption, and Ministry of National Infrastructure. There is similarly no trace of Arabic on the recently re-launched website of the President.
The following ministerial websites contain extremely limited information in Arabic: Ministry of Internal Security, Ministry of Housing and Construction, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Development of the Negev and Galilee, Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Culture and Sport.
The Abraham Fund noted several ministerial websites that offer accessible, up-to-date information in Arabic: Ministry of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Justice, Ministry for Pensioners’ Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Knesset and the National Police websites were also commended for the scope and quality of their Arabic content.
Mohammad Darawshe, the organization’s Arab Co-Executive Director, spoke at the meeting, and noted, “It is especially egregious that no Arabic language services are offered by the very ministries which are in high demand by Arab citizens: the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Housing, and the Ministry for Development of the Negev and Galilee, although these ministries are in high demand by Arab citizens.” According to Darawshe, the fact that no website has been launched for the Ministry for Minority Affairs is a matter that requires urgent attention.
Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeaunu, the organization’s Jewish Co-Executive Director stated, “Rectifying this grievance is not merely an obligation of the government; It is a trust-building step for the Arab citizens, and one which will reinforce their feeling that they and their language are a desired component of Israeli society.”
Summing up the meeting, the Committee called upon the government ministries to improve the services to Arab citizens by developing and launching Arabic language websites.
To mark International Mother Language Day, The Abraham Fund sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu urging him to instruct those responsible for the subject, and specifically the minister Michael Eitan - Minister of Improvement of Government Services, to act immediately and translate all government websites into the Arabic Language.
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