Separate but Unequal

In 1954 the US Supreme Court unanimously decided that separate is inherently unequal.  However, today separate but unequal still remains the policy for Israel's five mixed cities: Haifa, Jaffa, Akko, Ramle and Lod.  Although the Jewish and Arab neighborhoods adjoin each other, the contrasts between the two are stark.  Arab residents are routinely denied building permits  -- which are relatively easy to obtain for Jewish residents -- to build or expand their homes, resulting in impoverished and overcrowded neighborhoods.  Education, income, job opportunities – in every social indicator, mixed-city Arabs lag their Jewish neighbors.

SHATIL, NIF's action arm, launched the Mixed Cities Project in 2003.  Its goal is to mobilize Arab citizens and help them achieve parity with their Jewish neighbors in housing, infrastructure, educational, social, cultural and economic services. 

In the wake of the Second Lebanon war, SHATIL saw an opportunity to help mend the strained relations between Jews and Arabs.  Focusing on Haifa, SHATIL is initiating a joint-living project with the goal of Haifa being a model city of co-existence.  NIF and SHATIL will continue to work for the Arab residents of Israel's mixed cities to ensure their voices are heard, their standards of living are equal to their Jewish neighbors and that they are treated equally under the law both in written form and in practice.

See a video about the Mixed Cities Project.