On February 25, 2021, the Association for Civil Rights filed a petition (Hebrew) with the Supreme Court on behalf of three residents of East Jerusalem and Ma'an, an workers' organization, requesting that the court instruct the Employment Service to make its services accessible in the Arabic language. Among other things, we demanded providing telephone assistance in Arabic at the national service center, of the same quality and availability as the assistance provided in Hebrew; translating the online forms on the service's website into Arabic and allowing them to be filled out and submitted in Arabic; sending brochures to Arabic speakers in both languages, Arabic and Hebrew; and translating all the information on the service's website into Arabic.
In the petition, it was argued that in the current situation, the access of an Arabic-speaking resident who does not have proficiency in Hebrew to basic services is blocked, or they are forced to rely on support organizations or family members to access these services. This situation causes a severe violation of their constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, and equal treatment.
As a result of the petition, the state committed to rectify the situation. In its notifications to the court in May 2022, November 2022, and May 2023, the Employment Service updated on the improvements made, including the translation of content on the website into Arabic, translating forms into Arabic, and improving the option to receive assistance in Arabic at the telephone center and response times. The accessibility process for all digital services and the website was completed in June 2023. Therefore, we have withdrawn the petition.
In the Supreme Court case 1373/21, Daran v. the Employment Service.
Attorney: Abir Joubran
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