As Israel’s security situation improves, there will be a corresponding reduction of military government in the Arab areas of the country and its eventual abolition, according to a report published tonight on the Arab minority Israel by the Israel Foreign Ministry.
The report stated that there were 213,000 Arabs in Israel of whom 47,000 were listed as Christians and 31,000 as Druze, the remainder being Moslems. While the Druze are being called up for compulsory national service, just as are members of the Jewish population, the Arabs serve only as volunteers.
The report stated that “as a result of past experience, Druze and Arabs may serve in all branches of the armed forces and services in any rank.” It noted that there are more than 400 Druze and Arab officers in the Israel police force. The school attendance of Arab youngsters rose in ten years, the report disclosed, from 48 to 71 percent.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
