In December 2018, the Knesset Research and Information Center conducted a review of the use of Arabic on government websites, at the request of MK Yousef Jabareen (full report in Hebrew). The review found that many government ministry websites offer limited or no information in Arabic, that accessibility in Arabic is inconsistent among ministries, and little change from 2016, when an evaluation was conducted leading up to a Knesset discussion on the subject.
MK Jabareen requested the review in light of the Nation-State Law passed in 2018, which granted the Arabic language “special status” in Israel but committed to enabling access to state services in Arabic by law. The implications of this new status are not yet clear, and the use of Arabic in national institutions has yet to be legally regulated as the law requires.
Access to government information on topics such as services, contact avenues, tenders and employment openings is considered crucial to full participation and communication between citizens and public bodies. A recent report by the Israel Internet Association (full report in Hebrew) on internet use in Arab society, cited in the Knesset update, emphasizes the need for such accessibility and strongly recommends that all government and municipal digital services be made fully available in Arabic.
In 2012, the E-Government Unit of the ICT Authority under the Ministry of Finance published standard guidelines for online government services (Hebrew), which stipulate generally that information such as title pages, online services, forms, and job openings on government websites be available in Arabic. However, these guidelines include no methods for enforcement nor determine the minimal, required scope of accessibility for Arabic speakers, leaving each government ministry to decide independently how or whether to use Arabic on its website.
To assess the current degree and scope of information effectively offered in Arabic on government websites, the Knesset Research and Information Center reviewed the websites of the 24 government ministries of Israel, as well as websites of the State Comptroller of Israel, the government “portal” or information and services website, and four government units: the Civil Services Commission, the Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Israel Police, and the National Insurance Institute.
The main findings of the review are as follows:
Until passage of the Nation-State Law, Arabic was considered one of Israel’s two official languages based on the “Palestine Order in Council,” a pre-state British Mandate Law that was adopted by the State of Israel in 1948. This law required official government ordinances, notices and forms to be published in Arabic. While implementation of this law was partial, over the past two decades the Supreme Court began enforcing it for state institutions. As well, several private bills have been introduced to enforce the use of Arabic on government or public websites in the past, including in the three latest Knesset terms, and most recently in 2015, but none were advanced by the Knesset.
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Do you need support integrating these resources and issues into your philanthropic, communal, or Israel education work? Reach out for consultations, connections to experts, program support, training, or to plan your next event or mission. If you’ve used our resources, tell us about your experience!