Dec. 4, 2015

• Arab Upward Mobility in Israeli Society – Ariel Ben Solomon
  Israeli-Arab MK Esawi Frej (Meretz) told the Ambassadors’ Forum at Bar-Ilan University on Thursday that the fact that “we are part of the Palestinian nation” is compatible with playing “an active part in the Israeli state.” It can be just like in any European country, he said, where a minority is integrated into the state.
  Prof. Hillel Frisch of Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said that despite all of the complaints by the Arab community, it has “opted to work within the system rather than without it.” Frisch asserted that a participatory Arab minority is good for everyone.
  After the conference, Frisch noted that Frej himself, the son of a laborer, is a brilliant example of Arab upward mobility in Israel, who became an accountant after studying at Hebrew University. “His personal life reflects a degree of social mobility few European states could match,” said Frisch.
  One of the main obstacles to increasing Arab family income, argued Frisch, is due to cultural attitudes. Whereas 56% of Jewish women work, only 18% of Arab women do so. (Jerusalem Post)