(Bloomberg) Gwen Ackerman and Fadwa Hodali - Most of the 300,000 Arabs of Jerusalem work in Jewish areas. Ro'aa, 22, a sales clerk at the Malcha shopping mall, said, "I tried to work several times on the Arab side, but it didn't work out. There were no benefits, my salary was always two months late. On the Israeli side you get paid more and receive all your benefits, and if they see you are working hard you get promoted." Salary gaps with the city's Jewish population are narrowing, more are learning Hebrew, and registration at higher education institutions in the western sector is up. Ben Avrahami, the mayor's adviser for east Jerusalem affairs, said, "It is dripping into the consciousness that Israel is a reality and that if east Jerusalemites want to improve their lives, they might be willing to pay the price of integration," adding that the city is doing what it can to improve infrastructure in the Arab areas.
2018-02-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive