Numbers of Arab University Students in Israel Doubled in 10 Years

Members of Israel's Arab minority take part in a rally marking the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe", in Khubbayza, northern Israel May 9, 2019 (Reuters)
Members of Israel's Arab minority take part in a rally marking the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe", in Khubbayza, northern Israel May 9, 2019 (Reuters)
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Numbers of Arab University Students in Israel Doubled in 10 Years

Members of Israel's Arab minority take part in a rally marking the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe", in Khubbayza, northern Israel May 9, 2019 (Reuters)
Members of Israel's Arab minority take part in a rally marking the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe", in Khubbayza, northern Israel May 9, 2019 (Reuters)

The number of Arab university students has doubled in Israel over the last decade, jumping from 24,000 in 2008 to 51,000 this year, according to figures published by Israel's Higher Council for Education on Monday to mark the beginning of the new academic year.

The number of Arab students constitutes 18 percent of the total number of university students in Israel, which this year is 313,000.

There are 51,000 Arab university students in Israel this year, 61 percent of whom are females. However, this number does not include Arab university students from Palestinians of the 1948 territories, of which 10,000 are pursuing their education in Jordan and about 9000 in Palestinian universities.

Also, Arabs outperformed Jews in education performance, according to a source at the Higher Education Council.

The number of Arab students pursuing Master's degree has risen from 2,855 students, representing 4 percent of the total number of students in Israel in 2008, to 9,274 students last year, representing 14 percent.

Meanwhile, drop-out rate among Arabs is still higher than that of Jews, as Arab students find it difficult to blend in, learn Hebrew or even financially join schools, according to a study conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Finance.

Consequently, 14 percent of young people and 6 percent of females drop out of school and do not finish their education.

This difference is due to discrimination policy of Israel government towards Arabs, with the proportion of Arab high school graduates rising from 47 percent to 64 percent in 10 years, yet it is still far from the 80 percent of Jewish graduates.

The Higher Education Council pointed to two other phenomena that characterize university education in Israel in this period of time. First, students’ numbers in scientific and technological majors doubled, as opposed to traditional ones such as law and business education which fell by 25 percent in the last decade.

The second phenomenon is the increase of females students reaching 60 percent over males, in almost all subjects, and in all social strata; where female students on average 60 percent.



Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
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Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)

Egypt said Friday that Ethiopia has consistently lacked the political will to reach a binding agreement on its now-complete dam, an issue that involves Nile River water rights and the interests of Egypt and Sudan.

Ethiopia’s prime minister said Thursday that the country’s power-generating dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), on the Nile is now complete and that the government is “preparing for its official inauguration” in September.

Egypt has long opposed the construction of the dam, because it would reduce the country's share of Nile River waters, which it almost entirely relies on for agriculture and to serve its more than 100 million people.

The more than the $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border began producing power in 2022. It’s expected to eventually produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity — double Ethiopia’s current output.

Ethiopia and Egypt have spent years trying to reach an agreement over the dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011.

Both countries reached no deal despite negotiations over 13 years, and it remains unclear how much water Ethiopia will release downstream in case of a drought.

Egyptian officials, in a statement, called the completion of the dam “unlawful” and said that it violates international law, reflecting “an Ethiopian approach driven by an ideology that seeks to impose water hegemony” instead of equal partnership.

“Egypt firmly rejects Ethiopia’s continued policy of imposing a fait accompli through unilateral actions concerning the Nile River, which is an international shared watercourse,” Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said in a statement Friday.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his address to lawmakers Thursday, said that his country “remains committed to ensuring that our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters.”

“We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,” he said. “Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.”

However, the Egyptian water ministry said Friday that Ethiopian statements calling for continued negotiations “are merely superficial attempts to improve its image on the international stage.”

“Ethiopia’s positions, marked by evasion and retreat while pursuing unilateralism, are in clear contradiction with its declared willingness to negotiate,” the statement read.

However, Egypt is addressing its water needs by expanding agricultural wastewater treatment and improving irrigation systems, according to the ministry, while also bolstering cooperation with Nile Basin countries through backing development and water-related projects.