The government is slated to approve a $1 billion plan to address housing and planning issues that the Druze and Circassian communities in northern Israel have faced for years, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Tuesday.
The five-year project, which will be submitted for approval at Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, is the largest ever for the two minority communities.
“There has never been such a thing; this will advance the Druze sector,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “It will help close gaps. It will move this very important sector forward.”
Yasser Jedban, chairman of the Forum of Druze and Circassian Authorities, said, “I greatly appreciate this … and you do above and beyond for the community, and we thank you. This is national pride.”
Knesset member Afif Abed, a Druze lawmaker from Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, thanked the premier for putting forward the plan in a joint video, and called him “an asset to the country and to the community.”
The program, to being carried out with relevant government ministries, will allocate about $180 million for planning and housing, establish a planning committee for Druze and Circassian localities, and accelerate urban and detailed planning, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The communities’ education system will also be improved, in keeping with future employment market demands, with a $124 million investment. The plan also seeks to subsidize new construction for discharged soldiers and young couples, and develop sources of revenue by advancing economic initiatives.
About 150,000 Druze live in northern Israel, about 1.6% of the population, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Israel’s Circassian community, a mostly Muslim minority, numbers about 5,000 and is concentrated in two towns in the Galilee, Kfar Kama and Rehaniya.
Fiercely loyal to their country, Druze and Circassian Israeli men perform mandatory service in the IDF, where they excel and have long been known for their high rate of enlistment in combat units and careers in the military.
A Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 Druze children who were playing soccer in their Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams last year caused international outrage and brought that community closer to Israel than ever before.