The Mossawa Center filed a petition today (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) with the Supreme Court of Israel against the Civil Service Commission, alleging systematic and continuous discrimination against Arab citizens in public service employment. The petition was filed by attorneys Hussein Manaa, Ahmad Janam, Riwa Katib, Ghasan Tanous, and Marian Abi Nader, and claims that the Commission is in violation of Section 15A of the Civil Service Law (Appointments), which mandates adequate representation of Arab citizens in government ministries and agencies.
According to the Mossawa Center, the Commission cooperates with discriminatory associations that seek to promote only Jewish candidates to key positions within the civil service. The petition further asserts that the Commission presents distorted data to create the false impression that ministriesare meeting adequate representation goals.
Twenty-four years after the enactment of the law requiring fair representation of Arab citizens in the civil service, the Ministry of Health is the only government body to approach adequate representation levels, employing approximately 22% Arab staff. However, even within the Ministry of Health, Arab citizens hold only about 3% of senior leadership positions.
Overall, Arabs comprise only 0.56% of senior positions across all government ministries, and 8.8% of mid-level positions. In some ministries, Arab representation remains negligible or entirely absent—for instance, in the Ministry of Religious Services and the Hadera Port under the Ministry of Transport, Arab employment stands at 0%.
The following are the rates of Arab employment across various government bodies:
• Civil Service Commission: 2%
• Central Bureau of Statistics: 5%
• Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience: 3%
• Court Administration: 4%
• Israel Water Authority: 6%
• Real Estate Enforcement and Regulation Authority: 2%
• Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority: 5%
• Urban Renewal Authority: 3%
• Israel Meteorological Service: 6%
• Ministry of Culture and Sports: 8%
• Government Advertising Bureau: 5%
• Planning Administration: 3%
• Israel National Cyber Directorate: 0%
• Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure: 5%
• Ministry of Construction and Housing: 8%
• Ministry of Economy and Industry: 5%
• Hadera Port (Ministry of Transport and Road Safety): 0%
• Ministry of Transport and Road Safety: 9%
• Ministry of Tourism: 8%
• Ministry of Communications: 5%
• Ministry of Environmental Protection: 6%
• Prime Minister’s Office: 2%
• Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine: 0%
• Enforcement and Collection Authority: 8%
• Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev: 4%
• Electricity Authority: 5%
• Israel Tax Authority: 5%
• Civil Aviation Authority: 2%
• Government Computer Processing Service (Shavit Center): 1%
The petition demands the following:
• An immediate freeze on new recruitment tenders in offices that have not yet reached at least 10% Arab representation.
• The formulation of a comprehensive and updated action plan to achieve 21% Arab representation across all levels of public employment, reflecting the proportion of Arab citizens in Israel’s population.
• The cancellation of contracts with associations and organizations that engage in discriminatory employment practices favoring Jewish candidates exclusively.
“These alarming figures reveal a reality of deeply entrenched discrimination," said Nibal Abu Aradat, Legal Advocacy Coordinator at the Mossawa Center. "The Civil Service Commission, tasked with implementing the law, is blatantly violating it and presenting misleading data in its reports. Despite numerous recommendations and warnings from the Attorney General and the State Comptroller, most government ministries have failed to act meaningfully to integrate Arab citizens into their workforce.”
