Slippery Slope

According to data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, the average salary for female employees amounts to 66% of the average salary for male employees.

The state does not support the accessibility to higher education of those with less than 65% disability thus denying them an equal opportunity to study towards graduate degrees.

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

The Likud party rejected a call to sign a cross-party Jewish-Arab equality covenant. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

The Jerusalem municipality distributed brochures explaining next year’s kindergarten registration procedures including the new implementation of free education from age three. The Arabic-language brochures did not mention the change.

(Hebrew)

Israel Railways CEO Boaz Zafrir recently rejected an appeal by the Shutafut-Sharakah group, whose goal is to advance Jewish-Arab equality in Israel, to have station names announced in Arabic as well as Hebrew and English.  According to Zafrir, ”Multiple announcements and the long time it would take to make them by adding another language would make the train ride noisy.”

Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, handed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an expert opinion, which says that the proposed bills aimed to restrict activity of human rights organizations are not constitutional, and that they hurt a number of constitutional rights, such as: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and right to equality.

(Hebrew)

A study by “Sikkuy – the Association for Civil Equality” says that the Arab communities in Israel suffer from discrimination in the distribution of welfare budgets. Inequality is manifested by the ratio between expenditures in social welfare departments in Arab local authorities, to the overall population; and the share of people in need of welfare services, as defined by the Ministry of Social Affairs. According to estimates, the number of the needy is even higher than the official count, because some in need are not being reported, because even the number of social workers in the Arab communities is not sufficient for locating all the needy.

(Hebrew)

House Committee chairman, MK Yariv Levin (Likud) said that “affirmative action toward the Arab population, who don’t contribute to the state, while discriminating against those who give their best years and even sacrifice their lives, while getting no benefits , is an injustice without comparison”. Levin made this comment in response to remarks made earlier by the Knesset Speaker, Reuven Rivlin (Likud), who said that “the true meaning of the Bill which gives preference to military veterans in public service, is that it’s being a tool for political attack.”

(Hebrew)

During a speech at a conference in Ariel, MK Yulia Shamalov Berkovich (Kadima) attacked women’s rights organizations and accused them of eroding the status of women and damaging men’s rights.

Hebrew

State Comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, states in his annual report that there are “significant deficiencies” in the way the State pays social security nursing benefits, and in the employment of work immigrants in the nursing field. In addition, the report states that house call health care services are not being provided equally nationwide, and there are deficiencies in the service operation.

In the Tel Aviv – Jaffa district of the Clalit Health Services, the rate of treatment of the elderly was 2.5 times greater than in the Southern district, and 1.5 times greater than in the Jerusalem District. In the Leumit Health Services, the treatment rate in the Jerusalem District was 3 times that of the Northern district, and almost 1.5 times greater than in the Southern district.

(Hebrew)