Inequality and Diverting Budgets from Arab Society

Photo: Yossi Zamir, STOCK-SJ

In 2021, the government adopted Government Resolution 550 (the Five-Year Plan for Arab Society), a multi-year (2022-2026) government program aimed at reducing economic and social disparities between Arab society and the general population in Israel. Among other things, it expanded investment in areas such as health, personal security, transportation, innovation, and the digital economy. However, since the establishment of the current government, the five-year plan has undergone a series of substantial budget cuts. 220 million NIS was cut from the program in December 2025 at the initiative of Minister May Golan, and the funds were redirected to the police and the Shin Bet to address crime and violence in Arab society. In July 2026, approximately half a billion shekels were cut and transferred to the Shin Bet for crime prevention. Even before this latest cut, a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center found that, cumulatively, approximately 2.5 billion NIS had been cut from the program's budget. 

In appeals to the Attorney General (November–December 2025), the Knesset Finance Committee (December 2025), and the government (July 2026), ACRI Attorneys Elza Bugnet, Abeer Joubran, Debbie Gild-Hayo, and Hagar Shechter emphasized the serious harm these budget cuts cause to human rights, foremost among them the right to equality.  

The budget cuts have affected, and will continue to affect, all areas of life, including education, health, employment, transportation, and welfare, and will deprive Arab society of the critical resources that it urgently needs. For example, some of the budgets that were cut were intended to fund the construction of classrooms and kindergartens, training social workers, transportation and electricity infrastructure, health and mental health services, cultural programming, and youth employment. The proposal undermines the right to equality and the Arab population’s ability to fully realize their fundamental rights. The harm to equality is compounded by the fact that the original purpose of the five-year plan was to remedy a historic injustice and longstanding discrimination in budget allocations to Arab society compared with Jewish society. 

There is no doubt that combating crime is vital, and particularly urgent given the State's failure to address it effectively. However, a separate program, with its own funding sources, was designated for combating crime. The two programs were intended to complement one another, as deep-rooted socio-economic issues within Arab society have a dramatic impact on crime and violence, and vice versa. Reducing investment in employment, education, small businesses, economic development, and local authorities will undermine efforts to address the underlying causes of crime, and will serve to strengthen criminal organizations. Accordingly, diverting funds intended to promote the welfare and development of Arab society to crime-fighting measures is absurd: if these programs come at one another’s expense, neither is likely to achieve its objectives. 

Moreover, the Shin Bet has no legal authority to engage in civilian criminal law enforcement. Expanding its role through a government resolution exceeds its authority, undermines the rule of law, and jeopardizes fundamental rights. 

The fact that hundreds of millions of shekels previously allocated to combatting crime in Arab society have not been used makes these budget cuts all the more galling. The entire situation raises concerns that the decisions made regarding budgets allocated for Arab society were made in bad faith and based on extraneous considerations rather than professional ones. 

ACRI’s appeal to the Attorney General, November 11, 2025 (Heb) 

ACRI’s appeal to the Attorney General, December 4, 2025 (Heb) 

ACRI’s appeal to the Finance Committee, December 17, 2025 (Heb) 

ACRI’s appeal to the government, July 14, 2026 (Heb)