TEL AVIV OUTREACH ON DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001274 SIPDIS STATE FOR DRL/SEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL SUBJECT: TEL AVIV OUTREACH ON DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS REF: (A) STATE 44903 (B) 2007 STATE 88465 (C) 2007 STATE 108924 (D) 2007 TEL AVIV 2682 ¶1. Israel's status as a well-established democracy means that most of our public and media outreach on the Freedom Agenda is focused on promoting the functional integration of Israeli minorities -- particularly the Israeli-Arab community -- into the political system. As part of these efforts, the Ambassador met with leading democracy and human rights activists to support their efforts to promote peace and democracy through multi-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, and meets regularly with civil society activists engaged in promoting religious and ethnic minority rights in Israel. ¶2. In addition to his diplomatic engagement, the Ambassador regularly promotes democracy in his public remarks and writing. -- In his op-ed "Constructing the Defenses of Peace" that was published in the December 21, 2007 edition of Haaretz, the Ambassador focused on the need to foster understanding of different ethnic and religious groups. The Ambassador promoted "developing bridges between Israeli's Arab and Jewish communities and between Israelis and Palestinians" and explained how "we work closely with groups and institutions that teach respect for democratic values and diversity." -- As part of International Education Week, the Ambassador's November 13, 2007 remarks at our American Corner in Karmiel promoted "President Bush's vision of two states, one Jewish and one Palestinian, living side-by-side in peace and security" and "peace education" including "the study of the traditions, history and beliefs of other cultures." The Ambassador spoke about how "we work closely with groups and institutions that teach respect for democratic values and diversity, and provide students with solid citizenship skills." -- During his May 12, 2008 interview with Panet, the website of the Arabic language newspaper Panorama (which printed a transcript of the interview) the Ambassador discussed issues facing the Israeli-Arab community and the importance of defending minority rights. ¶3. A number of Embassy programs and initiatives supported the Ambassador's outreach efforts. -- Our Fulbright Outreach scholarship program, formerly the Israeli-Arab Scholarship Program, provided grants to Israeli minority students -- primarily Arab-Israelis and Ethiopian-Israelis -- for post-graduate study in the United States. -- Our Department-funded Access Micro-Scholarship program reached over 1,500 Israeli-Arab students receiving English language classes in order to improve their high school matriculation scores and thereby increase their chances of gaining admission to Israeli universities. -- English language classes at our American Corners served nearly 100 high school students, who had a multiplying effect in their communities both in terms of English speakers and in exposure to democratic ideals. -- Our MEPI program with the Sikkuy Association promoted fair representation and employment equity for Arab citizens in the public and private sectors, and has had a significant impact in the area of increasing Arab representation on the boards of government corporations and Arab employment in the civil service. -- Our MEPI program with the Movement for Quality Government in ISRAEL is designed to train Israeli-Arab jurists and provide them with tools for effective legal and civil action against corruption, incompetence and malfeasance in local government. The aim is to improve the quality of local government while promoting values of citizen action in a democratic society. -- As part of his work with the large Russian immigrant community in Israel, the Embassy's Human Rights Reporting Officer met with exiled Russian dissidents active in the "Other Russia" coalition. ¶4. By decision of the Forum's organizers, ISRAEL is not a participant n the Forum for the Future at this time. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES