The Mossawa Center’s socio-economic analysis of Israel’s 2023-2024 state budget:

The state budget, which was approved by the Knesset in its first reading, deepens discrimination and gaps. On March 27th, 2023, the social economic department at the Mossawa Center circulated a working paper to Arab members of the parliamentary finance committee, highlighting the depth of discrimination in the budgets allocated to the Arab community within the government's decisions for the years 2023-2024, before voting on the government budget proposal and economic plan in the first reading by the Knesset.

The working paper pointed out that the budgets that are supposed to be allocated in adherence with government decisions to the Arab community do not properly address the size of social and economic gaps that the community suffers from. It emphasized that the reduction in budgets may affect social and economic development, specifically in the fields of education, health, social welfare, housing, industrial zones, agriculture, infrastructure, roads, higher education, and vocational training for youth and women.

The working paper also confirmed that Government Resolution 550 was not fully implemented in 2022 by the Ministry of Finance and government ministries. After examining the proposed budgets for the coming years by economist Mohammed Abu Leil, it appears that the government will reduce the budgets that are supposed to be allocated to the Arab community. This reduction will deepen poverty, unemployment, and educational, health, employment, and housing gaps.

Meanwhile, the Mossawa Center team is preparing a comprehensive working paper on the demands of the Arab community from the ministry budgets for the years 2023-2024. They will circulate it to Knesset members, political parties, local authorities, media, and embassies before the final budget is approved by the Knesset committees in May.