The First of Its Kind: Shamir Meets with Delegation of Israeli Arab Leaders

Premier Yitzhak Shamir received a delegation of Israeli Arab leaders today. He assured them that Israel’s 600,000 Arabs are equal citizens of the state but acknowledged that they have special problems and promised to do his best to find solutions.

The meeting was the first of its kind ever held by the leader of a Likud government. The 27-member delegation included 15 mayors of Arab towns, religious, educational and social leaders. Three were members of the Democratic Front which is affiliated with the Rakah (Communist) Party.

Shamir’s visitors raised the issue of Arab-Jewish coexistence and complained of feeling neglected and of unequal treatment by the government in the area of social services, particularly child care allowances, education and business incentives. “There is no incentive for industry to set up in our towns. That is what I told the Prime Minister,” said Mayor Samir Darwish of Baka el-Garbia, a spokesman for the group.

The unequal treatment stems in part from Israel’s practice of providing extra assistance and incentives for veterans of military service. Israel’s Arab population, with few exceptions, is not permitted to serve in the armed forces. Shamir’s visitors proposed today alternative forms of national service for Israeli Arabs on a voluntary basis.

Darwish expressed satisfaction that Shamir “is going to do something about our problems.” He contrasted the Prime Minister’s attitude with that of his predecessor, former Premier Menachem Begin, who, he said never visited an Arab village or held a dialogue with local Arab leaders during his six years in office.

Shamir, for his part, suggested that Arab leaders take a more vigorous stand against terrorism. He said the Israeli police were pursuing extremists on both sides — Jewish as well as Arab.