BEDOUINS AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL

Early day motion 2195A1, tabled 12 October 2011 by Robert Halfon (Conservative). Signed by 1 member.

leave out from `House' to end and add `notes that Israel is one of the most open societies in the world and that out of a population of seven million, about 1.3 million, 20 per cent. of the population, are non-Jews (including approximately 1.1 million Muslims); further notes that Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights and it is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Arab women may vote; welcomes the fact that Arabs currently hold eight seats in the 120-seat Knesset and that Israeli Arabs have also held various high profile government posts, including Foreign Minister, ambassador to Finland and the current deputy mayor of Tel Aviv; further notes that Arabic, like Hebrew, is an official language in Israel, with more than 300,000 Arab children attending Israeli schools; and further notes that many Bedouins have served in Israeli army units and other Arabs have volunteered for military duty'.

Signatures by party: Conservative 1.