From correspondents in Jerusalem | July 21, 2008
ISRAEL plans to build a new city for Arab citizens in the Galilee region, the first housing project of its kind since the creation of the Jewish state in 1948.
The proposal for the city, whose location has still to be determined, was made by Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and approved by the cabinet yesterday, local media reported."There is a need to broaden the range of opportunities available to the non-Jewish population," Sheetrit was quoted as saying.
"My aspiration is for a new Arab city in the Galilee, where young couples can buy a house, just like in any other city in the world."
Israel's population of more than seven million people includes about 1.2 million Arabs, most of whom live in the north, in older Arab towns and villages that tend to lack modern infrastructure and
adequate building space.
But while Israel has constructed dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank since it occupied the territory in the 1967 war, the development of new Arab housing within its internationally recognised borders has lagged.
"Israel has never built a new Arab or Palestinian village within its borders. It would definitely be the first," said Suhad Bishara, a lawyer with Adalah, the legal centre for Arab minority rights in Israel.
Israeli Arabs remain divided on the question of whether the construction of the new city is the best response to their growing housing crisis, with some fearing the new project could lead to further segregation.
"This is a way for them to ease the pressure on Jewish settlements and towns," Mr Bishara said.
"Within the Arab community I doubt this is what we need."
Many also fear that the new city could drain educated middle and upper income residents from existing towns and villages.
The project, which has the backing of the prime minister and the housing minister, will now go to the preliminary planning stage.
A committee, which will include Arab representatives, is expected to present its conclusions by the end of the year.
Source: The Australian
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