On Jan. 10, the Israeli Cabinet approved a 2 billion shekel ($500 million) multiyear plan “to develop and strengthen the Druze and Circassian communities.” The announcement stated, “The plan touches on many areas of life including education, construction, infrastructures, social welfare and employment.” Less than two weeks before, on Dec. 30, the government had decided to allocate 15 billion shekels ($3.75 billion) for economic development of minority communities in general from 2016 to 2020. The decision applies to “all Arab, Druze and Circassian communities.” This five-year plan, according to official statements, is also designed to “reduce gaps” in the areas of welfare, policing, infrastructure and transportation.
Why did the government deem it appropriate to discriminate in favor of the small Druze and Circassian communities? Why trouble ministers with reducing gaps specifically among these communities less than two weeks after they had adopted a five-year plan designed to reduce gaps in all minority communities in Israel, which inherently included the Druze and Circassians? The answers can be found in Netanyahu's explanatory remarks on the more recent decision. As the prime minister explained, “The plan … will help to reduce disparities and promote the population that serves in the IDF and sees itself as part of the State of Israel.”
