VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTV #1274/01 1680703
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160703Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7133

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 001274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL/SEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: TEL AVIV OUTREACH ON DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
REF: (A) STATE 44903 (B) 2007 STATE 88465 (C) 2007 
     STATE 108924 (D) 2007 TEL AVIV 2682 
 
¶1.  Israel's status as a well-established democracy means 
that most of our public and media outreach on the Freedom 
Agenda is focused on promoting the functional integration of 
Israeli minorities -- particularly the Israeli-Arab community 
-- into the political system.  As part of these efforts, the 
Ambassador met with leading democracy and human rights 
activists to support their efforts to promote peace and 
democracy through multi-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, 
and meets regularly with civil society activists engaged in 
promoting religious and ethnic minority rights in Israel. 
 
¶2.  In addition to his diplomatic engagement, the Ambassador 
regularly promotes democracy in his public remarks and 
writing. 
 
-- In his op-ed "Constructing the Defenses of Peace" that was 
published in the December 21, 2007 edition of Haaretz, the 
Ambassador focused on the need to foster understanding of 
different ethnic and religious groups.  The Ambassador 
promoted "developing bridges between Israeli's Arab and 
Jewish communities and between Israelis and Palestinians" and 
explained how "we work closely with groups and institutions 
that teach respect for democratic values and diversity." 
 
-- As part of International Education Week, the Ambassador's 
November 13, 2007 remarks at our American Corner in Karmiel 
promoted "President Bush's vision of two states, one Jewish 
and one Palestinian, living side-by-side in peace and 
security" and "peace education" including "the study of the 
traditions, history and beliefs of other cultures."  The 
Ambassador spoke about how "we work closely with groups and 
institutions that teach respect for democratic values and 
diversity, and provide students with solid citizenship 
skills." 
 
-- During his May 12, 2008 interview with Panet, the website 
of the Arabic language newspaper Panorama (which printed a 
transcript of the interview) the Ambassador discussed issues 
facing the Israeli-Arab community and the importance of 
defending minority rights. 
 
¶3.  A number of Embassy programs and initiatives supported 
the Ambassador's outreach efforts. 
 
-- Our Fulbright Outreach scholarship program, formerly the 
Israeli-Arab Scholarship Program, provided grants to Israeli 
minority students -- primarily Arab-Israelis and 
Ethiopian-Israelis -- for post-graduate study in the United 
States. 
 
-- Our Department-funded Access Micro-Scholarship program 
reached over 1,500 Israeli-Arab students receiving English 
language classes in order to improve their high school 
matriculation scores and thereby increase their chances of 
gaining admission to Israeli universities. 
 
-- English language classes at our American Corners served 
nearly 100 high school students, who had a multiplying effect 
in their communities both in terms of English speakers and in 
exposure to democratic ideals. 
 
-- Our MEPI program with the Sikkuy Association promoted fair 
representation and employment equity for Arab citizens in the 
public and private sectors, and has had a significant impact 
in the area of increasing Arab representation on the boards 
of government corporations and Arab employment in the civil 
service. 
 
-- Our MEPI program with the Movement for Quality Government 
in Israel is designed to train Israeli-Arab jurists and 
provide them with tools for effective legal and civil action 
against corruption, incompetence and malfeasance in local 
government.  The aim is to improve the quality of local 
government while promoting values of citizen action in a 
democratic society. 
 
-- As part of his work with the large Russian immigrant 
community in Israel, the Embassy's Human Rights Reporting 
Officer met with exiled Russian dissidents active in the 
"Other Russia" coalition. 
 
¶4.  By decision of the Forum's organizers, Israel is not a 
participant n the Forum for the Future at this time. 
 
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Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
********************************************* ******************** 
JONES