Steve Lipman’s article (“Helping Israeli Arabs Join The High-Tech Revolution,” April 24) on Israeli Arab penetration of the high-tech area was certainly correct in what it said about the issues involved. But the way he described Prime Minister Netanyahu was basically wrong. The article inferred that Netanyahu’s anti-Arab stance made these advances all the more remarkable because they occurred despite the government.
Nothing can be further from the truth. The Netanyahu government, through the ministry office of Ayman Seif, has funded Tsofen, which is the organization most involved with Arab industry placement. It has provided substantial wage subsidies to encourage hirings and government funding has help Arab start-ups in Nazareth. The education ministry has also aided in increasing Arab enrollment at Technion, now at 21 percent.
While I am not a fan of Netanyahu, there are striking parallels between the positive Arab gains from his administration’s policies and the positive black gains in the U.S. during Nixon’s Administration. In each case, liberals unfortunately focus on the racist electoral strategies — Nixon’s Southern strategy and Netanyahu’s Election Day pronouncements — rather than the actual policies.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
