Following Adalah's Petition: Arab Farmers in Israel are Awarded Subsidies to Produce Six Million Eggs per Year

On 31 December 2010, the Knesset's Economic Affairs Committee decided to award subsidies to Arab farmers to produce six million eggs annually out of a new quota totaling 26 million eggs for all farmers in Israel. This financial support marks the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 that Arab farmers have been subsidized by the state for the production of eggs and licensed to sell them.

Despite the Knesset Committee's decision, Adalah will continue to legally challenge discriminatory state policies against Arab farmers. In 2008, Adalah petitioned the Supreme Court of Israel on behalf of an Arab citizen of the state from the Arab village of Aramshe and the Center for Social Development in Haifa demanding that Aramshe, located near the northern border of Israel, be included in the list of eligible communities for these subsidies. The petitioners also asked the court to order clear, equitable and written criteria to be established for determining the list of towns eligible for egg subsidies. The petition was filed by Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher. At a hearing held on 14 July 2010, the Supreme Court issued an order nisi, compelling the state to explain why these two demands should not be fulfilled.

The Knesset's decision does not set out which Arab towns will be awarded the subsidies, or what criteria will be used to select them. In addition, the sums awarded to Arab farmers are relatively low and do not address the years of discrimination against them in this field.

In the petition, Adalah argued that the exclusion of Arab towns from the list of towns eligible to receive subsidies for the production and sale of eggs constitutes blatant discrimination and violated the constitutional rights of Arab farmers, including the right to equality and the rights to freedom of occupation and property, and must be brought to an end. The petitioners demanded the expansion of the scope of the law and at a minimum the inclusion of the village of Aramshe in the list of towns eligible to receive subsidies, given that the poultry sector is one of the most important agricultural sectors, which yield high economic returns. Adalah stressed that all of the Jewish towns surrounding Aramshe received the subsidies.

Case citation: HCJ 3815/08, Eyad el-Mugheys, et al. v. The Minister of Agriculture (case pending)