Two Arab members of the Knesset have proposed the construction of an all-Arab city in Israel -- called Galilee -- to alleviate over-crowding and establish a modern, vibrant community for Arabs in the country.
"This city will be the first of its kind in Israel," said Knesset member Hanna Sweed, who proposed the concept along with Ibrahim Sarsur.
"Unlike other Arab cities inside Israel like Nazareth, Haifa, and Jaffa—all a random development of small villages and still dominated by tribal divisions—this will be a modern, residential city and a center for cultural and social activities for the Arab minority," Sweed said.
Sweed told AlArabiya.net that the northern region of Galilee is worst affected by population problems as there is no room to accommodate the rapid growth.
Arab land, he said, confiscated by the government since 1948 makes up 94% of Israel: "The over-crowding of Arabs in small areas is causing social, economic, and health problems."
Sweed said three things are required to build a city to accommodate Arabs and become their cultural meeting point -- government approval, land allocating, and a budget for infrastructure and transportation.
A spokesman for the Supreme Arab-Israeli Monitoring Committee told AlArabiya.net that building an Arab city is a legitimate right for the Arabs and a necessity for coming generations.
"Unfortunately, Arab demands are not on Israel's political agenda. They deal with Arabs as a strategic threat, and not citizens with equal rights," said Abed Anbatawi.
Anbatawi added that Arab cities and villages are trapped, and the meager budget allocated to them will push youth to leave the land.
The spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing, Arukh Ashar, told AlArabiya.net that the ministry has not received a plan for the city and noted that the Israeli government has to approve it first.
Arab-Israelis, also called "Arabs of 1948," constitute 20 percent of the population in Israel and are basically concentrated in the Northern District, especially in Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel.
The high birth rate has led to speculation that Arabs might become a majority by 2035.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid). |
