Yair Golan laments ‘huge gaps’ in protective infrastructure between Arabs and Jews

There is a significant gap in defensive preparations between Arab and Jewish Israelis, Democrats party chairman Yair Golan declares, following a tour of the Arab municipalities of Shefa-Amr, Nazareth and Shibli in northern Israel.

“Iranian missiles do not distinguish between Jews and Arabs, between the center and the periphery,” he says.

While authorities’ preparations for war were “impressive,” he says, there are “still huge gaps in defense for Arab society.”

“As commander of the Home Front Command, I recommended 15 years ago a simple but dramatic move: to allocate a billion shekels a year ($290 million) to protect civilians. A tiny amount in terms of the state budget, which would significantly reduce the gaps in protection,” he continues.

“With a billion shekels a year, we would add about 10,000 additional protected spaces each year. Over 15 years, we would end up with about 150,000 additional protected housing units, especially in the periphery and in disadvantaged areas. This neglect must stop.”

Israel has been criticized for not building as many shelters in Arab cities. In the northern city of Tamra, where four residents were killed in a missile barrage Saturday night, there are no public shelters available, and only 40% of residents have access to private shelters, Hadash-Ta’al party chairman Ayman Odeh said Sunday.

A 2024 report by the Israel Democracy Institute found that Israel was not meeting its responsibilities to provide adequate protective structures in Arab cities, citing a 2018 State Comptroller report that said only 11 out of 71 Arab local authorities examined had public shelters.