Israel’s Arab Population Is at Risk

A dangerous convergence of policy decisions threatens significant elements of Arab society in Israel — particularly those living in the West Bank. In recent weeks, the Israeli government announced massive cuts to the five-year development plan for Arab society.

Among other things, the reduction in funding will impact education, vocational training and public safety initiatives in Arab communities, in a direct blow to some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.

Israel’s Arab population faces steep socioeconomic challenges. In 2023, a staggering 42.4% of the Arab population lived below the poverty line — more than double their share in Israel’s general population. These communities, long underfunded and underserved, have relied heavily on state assistance to address gaps in education, employment and infrastructure. The cuts will only worsen the problems.

Arab towns and villages in the West Bank are often outside the spotlight but suffer some of the harshest conditions. Schools are overcrowded, roads are crumbling and essential public services are severely limited. Vocational training programs, often supported by a delicate mix of government and foreign funding, offer rare pathways to employment and social mobility. Slashing these initiatives closes doors and dims futures.

At the same time, mounting vigilante violence and organized crime in Arab communities is a festering wound. When that criminal behavior is combined with orchestrated anti-Israel demonstrations and terror attacks, they present a serious threat to Israel’s security. With fewer resources allocated to community policing and crime prevention, gangs and criminal networks run free. Local leaders have pleaded for help — but funding is not available.

In addition to the domestic cuts in funding, Israeli Arabs are impacted by the collapse in USAID refugee and civil society programs, which has removed tens of millions of dollars in support for organizations operating within or alongside Arab communities in Israel and the West Bank.

To make matters worse, new legislative threats are emerging in the Knesset. The proposed “Kallner Law” — a bill that would impose an 80% tax on foreign state funding of certain Israeli NGOs — could further hobble the already strained civil society sector. If passed, the law would disproportionately impact Arab civil society organizations and joint Jewish-Arab initiatives, many of which rely on foreign government support to operate. Combined with the shift in philanthropic focus since Oct. 7, when the horrors of the Hamas attacks redirected global donor attention almost exclusively to Jewish Israeli needs, Arab communities are increasingly being left behind.

The consequences of this moment are not abstract. Without meaningful intervention, more Arab youth will drop out of school. Crime and violence will rise. Opportunities for coexistence and cooperation will shrink. And the already fragile relationship between Arab society and the state of Israel will only get worse.

It is not too late to change course. Investment in Israel’s citizens — wherever they live — is a necessity for a shared, secure future. That requires reinstating critical funding, protecting civil society and reversing policies that divide rather than unify. Failure to act will come at a steep cost — not only to Arab citizens, but to the democratic integrity of the state itself.