Recently the country was all excited about the visit to Israel of OECD representatives and about the willingness of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is composed of 31 developed countries, to add Israel to its ranks. But what aroused particular interest was the mobilization of the prestigious organization to expose the increasingly large gaps between the Jewish and Arab populations in Israel, and its recommendation to the government to take immediate action to close these gaps, so that the country will be able to meet the criteria for joining the organization...    >>>>

...The annual Sikkuy Equality Index that was published recently indicates that the gaps between Arab and Jewish citizens have increased by about 5 percent in the past two years alone. The index, which quantified the gaps in areas such as education, social welfare, health and employment, demonstrates that Arab children grow up in homes far poorer than the Jewish average: About 60 percent of Arab children are poor, as compared to 20 percent of Jews. Moreover, an Arab child studies for about 20 percent fewer hours than does his Jewish counterpart...    >>>>