TEL AVIV: The Arab citizens of Israel are the oft-overlooked victims of the Israeli conflict, according to a non-profit organization. "The international community thinks it's a black and white situation between the Palestinian communities in the Occupied Territories and between Israel, that's not the situation, says Rania Laham-Grayed, deputy director of the Mossawa Center. For Laham-Grayed, one of the biggest challenges facing Mossawa is the initial lack of international awareness of Arab citizens within Israel. "Twenty percent of the population in Israel is Arab, and the Arab citizens are also neglected, and their human rights are violated, she says. The Mossawa Center is an advocacy center that works to improve the social, economic and legal rights of the Arab community. It is just one of numerous non-profits that attempt to empower the Arab minority of Israel. In the tumultuous relationship between the Palestinian community and the state of Israel, it is the Arab citizens who are most often overlooked. "In any official agreement between Israel and the Palestinian community in the Occupied Territories - any peace agreement - traditionally the Arab population within Israel is ignored, Laham-Grayed says. "They are not included in these agreements, nor are they asked to participate in [in formulating] these agreements. With a population of 1.3 million, Arab Israelis find themselves struggling for equal rights in their society. Despite making up one fifth of the population, Arab villages receive only five percent of the state's development funds. The lack of money makes it hard for Arab municipalities to provide basic services like education, health and welfare programs. Israel's budget allocation makes industrial growth in Arab villages nearly impossible, according to Laham-Grayed. "Nazareth is the biggest Arab city in Israel, yet it does not have an industrial bone. An industrial bone creates employment, it creates training opportunities for the community, and at this point our community has a very high unemployment rate because of lack of access to employment, Laham-Grayed says. In 2002, Central Bureau of Statistics data found the unemployment rate was 13.4 percent among Arabs but 9.8 percent among Jews. Unemployment numbers aren't the only startling statistic: Arab Israeli citizens are less likely to gain entrance to universities and have a high dropout rate in secondary school. According to Ittijah, an organization that helps other non-profits network, the dropout rate for 16 to 17-year-olds is 40 percent among Arabs, while only nine percent among Jewish youth. But despite these struggles, Laham-Grayed says the Arab community of Israel could play a positive and key role in settling the conflict. "The Arabs within Israel are actually a powerful force that can assist in the dialogue between Israel and the Occupied Territories, and the Arab region, she says. "Because we live and work [with Israeli Jews] on a daily basis, we understand the culture and speak the language of the Jewish community here. But culturally, historically, we are also Palestinian.
