News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) The High Follow up Committee for the Arabs in Israel, an independent political organization that seeks to unify Israeli Arab political activity, held a meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the government’s plan to encourage Arabs to perform national service.  The meeting was held in Nazareth, and the heads of the Arab Knesset factions took part.

The committee decided to begin a campaign against the initiative, and to establish a special committee that would fight the initiative’s implementation.  The idea of performing national service “contradicts the political, national, and civilian positions of the Arab leadership in Israel,” the committee decided.

Jews who do not serve in the IDF often perform national service instead.  National service volunteers can choose from a wide variety of service options, including working in hospitals, daycare centers, schools, and youth movements.