Government approves NIS 200m. aid for Druze, Circassian villages

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to provide NIS 200 million for a program designated for the development and empowerment of Druze and Circassian villages in 2020.The decision was made with Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Interior Minister Arye Deri on SundayThe budget approved is added to the development plan for the years 2016-2019, which received a total budget of NIS 2.2 billion.“We approved today, along with Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, the continuation of the development plan in the Druze sector. This is now a bridge funding for the renewal of the five-year plan that has brought so many blessings, and will bring many more blessings in the future,” Netanyahu said.The plan aims to empower and develop the Druze and Circassian populations in terms of education, infrastructure, culture, employment and more. The budget approved constitutes a start to the planned 2020-2024 project.“The plan is to continue and shrink the existing gap between the public and our Druze and Circassian brothers, and to push for their full assimilation in to the Israeli economy and society,” Netanyahu said.