Arab students at Ben Gurion University
Arab students at Ben Gurion UniversityFlash 90

On Monday morning, the The Knesset's Ministerial Committee for Matters of the Arab Population approved a plan to invest 20 million NIS in the construction of buildings for hi-tech companies and in hi-tech services in Arab villages. As part of the plan, the Israeli government will pave access roads to the new industrial zones.

The Monday meeting was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who heads the Committee, as well as by Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel (Likud) and Economy Minister Eli Cohen (Kulanu).

Gamliel noted that over the past two years, there has been a drastic rise in the numbers of Israeli Arab teens high schoolers who pass the matriculation exams and study in institutions of higher education, as well as the rise in the number of Israeli Arabs who are gainfully employed.

"These statistics show that our plan is successful, and prove that the government's commitment crosses party lines and ministries," she said.

The plan, created in December 2015 and dubbed Plan 922, is expected to create thousands of new job openings in various hi-tech fields, and contribute to closing the gap between supply and demand of hi-tech jobs in the Arab sector.

A report showed that the Israeli government invested over 4.5 billion shekels in the plan between 2016-2017. Most of the funds went to improving transportation and infrastructure in the Arab sector, while a large portion went to the local councils and the rest went to education and employment.

By 2020, the Israeli government will have invested over 15 billion NIS in Plan 922.