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PROJECT PROFILE: OR WATCH - CIVIC ENFORCEMENT OF THE OR COMMISSION'S INSTITUTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS OVERVIEW: TO DEVELOP A CIVIL SOCIETY STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC PRESSURE TO IMPLEMENT THE OR COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CIVIC EQUALITY BETWEEN JEWISH AND ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL.
The Or Commission of Inquiry was established by the government of Israel in the aftermath of the harsh demonstrations by Arab citizens of Israel in October 2000, in which 13 Arab demonstrators were killed by police gunfire. Its mandate was to investigate the events and their causes and submit recommendations to the government. After almost three years of investigation and hearing testimony from hundreds of witnesses, including expert testimony by the co-directors of Sikkuy, the commission presented its findings in September 2003. The Or Commission's recommendations focused on the pervasive, institutionalized discrimination and inequality practiced by successive governments of Israel against the 1.2 million Arab citizens of Israel. The Commission emphasized the urgent need to take immediate and long-term corrective measures. The Or Commission, as a state appointed body whose recommendations were adopted by the government of Israel, carries great legal and moral weight in the public arena in Israel. The challenge to civil society in Israel is to leverage that weight to maximize implementation of the recommendations. GOALS: To utilize all of Sikkuy's existing structures within the framework of the Or Watch to have a significant impact on the government of Israel's implementation of full civic equality between Jewish and Arab citizens. To conceptualize and plan programs designed to enlist public support for equality. The Sikkuy Or Watch is active in three areas: A. Direct pressure on the government - continuous efforts by a team of Jewish former high ranking officials in the civil service and prominent Arab leaders and academic experts.
B. Media and information dissemination - designed to impact on both Jewish and Arab public opinion to support civic equality. C. Fact finding and data analysis - preparation of reports and position/working papers for government institutions, NGOs and the wider public. The activities planned during the course of the three-year project include:
 WEBSITE: www.orwatch.org. The website is a repository of relevant information and research about the Or Commission. POSITION PAPERS: Develop and publish position papers on government policy toward the Arab citizens of Israel that will focus on specific issues such as housing, education, employment and land use. Meetings will be held with leading government figures and decision makers to discuss the proposals and advance their implementation. MEDIA AWARENESS: Activities and media outreach to shape public opinion in favor of civic equality. RESOURCE TEAM: Or Watch will develop a group of Arab and Jewish public figures, senior civil servants (retired), artists, entertainers and others who will publicly speak out in support of civic equality as a vital Jewish and Arab interest. PUBLIC EVENTS: Conferences, lectures and seminars will be organized to advance the value of civic equality among the public and private sectors. Public opinion surveys will be conducted to help advance these goals. VIDEO AND TELEVISION PROGRAMMING: Or Watch will facilitate the creation of video and television programming for dissemination to the public to support the project's goals.
THE SIKKUY/OR REPORT: Publication of an annual report, published in Arabic, English and Hebrew, monitoring equal resource allocation and implementation of the Or Commission recommendations.
The Or Watch will develop additional projects to advance its goals. The implementation of these projects will be dependent on securing additional funding sources. These include:
EQUALITY INDEX: The Equality Index will be a quantitative tool for measuring the equitable distribution of state resources between Jewish and Arab citizens. It will be developed by an Arab and Jewish team of experienced statisticians and public policy analysts. The index will be used to apply public pressure on the government to implement its commitment to complete civic equality between Arabs and Jews. MEDIA CAMPAIGN: A large-scale media campaign designed to have a significant impact on public opinion in Israel in favor of implementing equality.EXISTING FUNDING: The European Commission is providing 80% of the funding and the Netherlands ministry of foreign affairs 20% for the three year project.
FUNDING NEEDS: Sikkuy is seeking additional partners to provide funding for the planned media campaign, television productions and other ancillary activities of the Or Watch.
For additional information contact the Or Watch directors: ayman@sikkuy.org.il; rachela@sikkuy.org.il
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The Sikkuy Report 2002-2003 The Israeli Regime and the Political Distress of the Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel position paper - Dr. As'ad Ghanem Relations between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel as a Factor in the Events of October 2000 position paper - Shuli Dichter The Central Bureau of Statistics Adalah: October 2000 - Law and Politics before the Or Commission |
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| Contact Us: Sikkuy Tel: 972-2-6541225 Fax: 972-2-6541108mailto:jerusalem@sikkuy.org.il | |||||||||||||||||||
