civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Arab citizens in Israel. In
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
, "mossawa" means "equality". The organization works to promote the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the Arab minority living in
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
Social and economic justice
Arab citizens have been left behind in the development of the Israeli state. Mossawa monitors the
State Budget
A government budget is a projection of the government's revenues and expenditure for a particular period, often referred to as a financial or fiscal year, which may or may not correspond with the calendar year. Government revenues mostly include ...
and prepares reports demonstrating the
discrimination
Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
against Arabs implicit in the distribution of services.
The Mossawa Center lobbies the
Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
to increase budget allocations to the Arab community in Israel. In 2016, Mossawa director Jafar Farah met with members of the Knesset and held a conference with the Knesset Finance Committee to increase budgets for education, welfare, public transportation, and health services in the Arab community.
The Mossawa Center partners with and advocates for the needs of Arab localities in Israel. At the organization's annual Conference on the Legal Status of Arab Citizens of Israel in 2016, the Mossawa Center recognized Al-Araqeeb, an unrecognized Bedouin village in the Negev Desert, with an "Unsung Hero Award" presented by
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III (born October 23, 1957) is an American human rights activist, philanthropist, and an advocate. The second child and eldest son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, he served as the fourth ...
. Mossawa also honored Jabir Asaqla, Head of Graduate Programs at the Mandel Center for Leadership in the North, and Nabila Espanioly, founder of Al-Tufula Pedagogical Center.
In September 2015, Mossawa helped to organize a student strike in advance of the start of the school year over government discrimination in terms of providing budgets to meet the needs of Arab citizens of Israel. Jafar Farah reportedly explained, "We want the government to take responsibility for the future of Arab citizens of Israel because we pay taxes like everyone else."
Legal advocacy
Mossawa takes on legal cases supporting the Arab minority as in the case of the unrecognized neighborhood, Wadi Suya'h, in Haifa. Mossawa joined other organizations in those arrested for demonstrating against the Prawer-Begin Plan in representing the Arab town of Sakhneen on July 15, 2013.
Advocacy in the Knesset
The Mossawa Center frequently advocates in the Knesset for greater budget allocations to the Arab community in Israel. Mossawa has been critical of Government Resolution 922, which was intended to close gaps between the Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel. The Mossawa Center argued that Government Resolution 922 was insufficient to close gaps in education, welfare, health, and other issues.
In 2016, the Mossawa Center argued that the so-called "NGO law" was detrimental to Arab organizations' advocacy efforts in Israel and would disproportionately affect organizations sympathetic to Palestinians.
Mossawa denounced legislation in 2010, which would require that immigrants recognize Israel as a Jewish state, noting that this legislation would disproportionately affect Arabs and would threaten Israel's democratic character.
Youth
Mossawa also works closely with youth. The Mossawa Center has hosted camps for international youth come to visit andvolunteer in local communities, and learn about Palestinian culture, customs, and heritage.