AMBASSADOR'S IFTAR CELEBRATES RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 006266

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015
TAGS: ECON KDEM KMPI KPAO IS ISRAELI SOCIETY
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S IFTAR CELEBRATES RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
IN ISRAEL

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) SUMMARY: Ambassador Jones hosted over 80 Muslim,
Christian and Jewish guests for an interfaith Iftar dinner on
October 27 to break the fast during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan. The Iftar brought together Israeli-Arab leaders
from the political, business and social-action arenas. At
the event, the Ambassador showcased U.S. grants to support
Israeli-Arab education in Israel's south and central regions
and education programs for the Israeli-Arab community such as
the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the English
ACCESS Microscholarship Program designed to teach English to
selected underprivileged Arab students. Post continues its
outreach to the Arab community in Israel through visits to
Israeli-Arab communities, meetings with community leaders and
civil rights representatives. END SUMMARY.

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Ambassador's Iftar with Israeli Arabs
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2. (U) Ambassador Jones hosted an Iftar dinner on October 27
attended by prominent Israeli Arabs from the political,
social, and economic sectors. The Ambassador used this
opportunity to highlight Post's support for Israeli-Arab
educational and social projects, including grants totaling
USD 9,500 to support Israeli-Arab education projects in the
Bedouin village of Rahat and the mixed Jewish - Arab city of
Jaffa. He announced that these grants will go towards the
purchase of English books and other learning material, and
will also provide for after school programs.

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U.S. Grant for the Irony Yud-Bet Public School in Jaffa
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3. (C) Azim Mansour, an English teacher at Jaffa's Irony
Yud-Bet Public School, an Israeli-Arab school with 612 Arab
students, told econoff September 14 that the school is
working to expand its English Resource Center. She added,
however, that the school lacks funding to help its students
do better on GOI-administered English tests, and that any USG
assistance is welcome. Post worked closely with school
officials and recently granted USD 2,000 to fund the purchase
of English language books for the Center.

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U.S. Grant for Bedouin Community Center in the Negev
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4. (C) On June 10, econoff met with Mansour Nasasra, Project
Manager for Rahat Forward, a non-governmental organization
dealing with Bedouin issues in the Negev. Nasasra, who lives
in the Bedouin village of Rahat, said his community's
population is increasing quickly due to a high birth rate.
He claimed that many families do not have the necessary
income to live beyond a subsistence existence and that any
support given by outside sources is appreciated. He
indicated that Bedouin youth have access to books, computers,
and games in school, but that there are no resources
available for after school learning.


5. (U) Nasasra described the Rahat Community Center as an
excellent facility built by the GOI, but said that its
library, the first in Rahat, lacks books and furniture. On
August 15, Post gave a grant of USD 7,500 to facilitate the
purchase of books and other related material for the library,
which serves approximately 20,000 Bedouin. Nasasra expressed
gratitude for the funding and characterized the contribution
as one that will serve the entire Bedouin community and
encourage the educational aspirations of Bedouin youth.

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MEPI and ACCESS
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6. (U) Mansour and Nasasra pointed to Israeli-Arab students'
low English scores on Israel's mandatory matriculation exams.
They have indicated in the past that this is a main barrier
preventing these students from entering universities. The
reason for these low English scores is that English is a
third, not second, language for most Arabs in Israel. Post's
ongoing outreach to Israel's Arab community through a variety
of grants, programs, and exchanges, including those run under
the auspices of MEPI, will help address some of the concerns
mentioned above. Post will step up its support of Arab
sector in the 2005 - 2006 school year through the English
ACCESS Microscholarship Program, providing 770
underprivileged Arab students an opportunity to improve their
English.

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