Member of Knesset Nir Barkat (Likud) has sent a letter to Haifa Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem, urging her to reconsider her decision to close the city's schools to students from the surrounding area, which will hurt mainly the Druze students who live near Haifa.
The former mayor of Jerusalem said, "Beyond the joint service in the army and the combat scene, it is important that we work to integrate the Druze community as an integral part of Israeli society in general and the city of Haifa in particular." Calling the decision a mistake from the perspective of education, values and morals, he said both the students and the city would be adversely affected. He called for Haifa schools to be open to all, 'on the basis of vacancy and not on the basis of residence or socioeconomic status. This step has proven itself and should be implemented across the country in general and in [ethnicly] mixed cities in particular."