Itongadol.- City would serve as a model that could be replicated in other areas in the country professor tells the \’Post.\’
Israel is considering to build a new Arab city in Israel just east of Acre, Israel media reported.
Prof. Rassem Khamaisi of the Geography and Environmental Studies Department at the University of Haifa and the head of the Jewish Arab Center has been involved in the planning for the new city.
Khamaisi told The Jerusalem Post that most of the land that would be developed is a state owned forest area.
This city would serve as a model that could be replicated in other areas in the country, he said.
Khamaisi insists that the plan be passed despite expected objections, noting that it is of great importance for the Arab public. He also added that the plan is backed by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“This is a great idea,” Prof. Sammy Smooha, a sociologist from the University of Haifa, told the Post on Monday.
“New Arab towns and villages for the Arab population are highly needed” and the new city will attract Arab young couples and middle class Arabs.”
Smooha says that such a move would facilitate change in Arab society, lessening the traditional life-style, and become one that is “less trapped in hamula [clan] and religious ties.”
Regarding the location in the western Galilee, Smooha thinks it is a good choice because 60% of Arabs live in the Galilee.