Israeli Shortcut’s Government Advocacy Department Letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu

The letter asks Netanyahu to assist in fulfilling the dream of foreign national Jews who want to remain living in Israel by reducing onerous bureaucracy and legal discrimination.

 

Israeli Shortcut organization, a non-profit dedicated to easing the acclimatization of foreign nationals in Israel, has an active advocacy department which has been corresponding with numerous government offices and authorities concerning measures they can take to ease the bureaucracy and difficult regulations that affect this population.

 

Israeli Shortcut’s recent successes has prompted it to appeal to Prime Minister Netanyahu to make an overhaul of other onerous, annoying and discouraging government legislation and regulations which have had the effect of causing foreign nationals to leave Israel and return to their home countries.

 

The letter points out that the population of foreign nationals are patriots whose economic contribution to the country is substantial. Yet while they have almost equal responsibilities to Israeli citizens, “This population lacks representation, are often stymied in their dealings with municipal and government authorities, and are discriminated against in almost every aspect of their lives.”

 

Because this population has no electoral power, there is no government “awareness or readiness to help them with their most basic needs when they move to Israel. They are not given building allocations to set up their own communities and religious facilities and there are no social services adapted to their character and needs — despite them having the same duties as Israelis and paying the same taxes as them.”

 

While Israel invests a budget of billions in tourism and integrating immigrants, “If only a small fraction of that would be invested in amending laws and improving resources and conditions for foreign nationals that are already living here, many more would commit to stay” — at a far lower cost than what it takes to absorb immigrants.

 

The letter ends with an impassioned call to “make a new breakthrough in Israel’s attitude to foreign nationals, for the sake of this population and for the sake of the national interest” and “be an ambassador of good will to our brothers from abroad who are living in Israel and would love to stay here.”

 

The full translated copy of the letter sent to Prime Minister Netanyahu follows.