1. State of Israel Prime Minister's Office Administration for National-Civic Service Presentation at Herzliya Conference, January 2008 צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

2. In August 2007, the Government of Israel adopted decision 2215, approving the establishment of the Administration for National- Civic Service in the Prime Minister's Office. An establishment team was subsequently formed, to implement the decision. On 20 January 2008, approximately one year after the commencement of work of the establishment team, the GOI approved transfer of powers and authorities from the Welfare Office to the PMO (to be executed by the Administration), thereby completing the work of the establishment team, and launching the work of the administration. צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

3. Vision of the National-Civic Service A national civilian system, wherein young Israeli citizens (male and female), will contribute 1 – 2 years of their lives to civilian community based causes, thereby making a substantially contribution to society, particularly to marginalized groups The purposes of this volunteer work are - strengthening the volunteers identification and ties with their communities, society and the state; development of their professional abilities and employability; empowerment, character building, and development of leadership skills. צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

4. Basic Tenets of the National-Civic Service Service is voluntary, and based on an individual's desire to contribute Service promotes equality between different social groups Service follows governmental guidelines The Administration will be an independent body, and will not be linked to the defense establishment צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

5. The Administration work will be accompanied by a public advisory board Service will entitle volunteers to financial benefits equivalent to those of non-combat soldiers Volunteers can perform their service within their communities צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

9. Reactions of Arab Leadership The Arab High Monitoring Committee expressly objected “to the establishment of an administration aimed at forcing civic service on arabs”. The committee responded by establishing an “action board” which warns potential volunteers that the Administration is “an attempt to abduct them from the arms of your people and disrupt your personality… this is a place for people that are nationally and morally repugnant.” (5.9.2007) MK Sheik Ibrahim Zarzur: “Civic Service is a dangerous slope, the Ministry of Defense is behind this plot, taking advantage of the difficult conditions of Arab youth, resulting from the policy of constant pressure applied by Israel on the Arab minority in all aspects…” MK Jamal Zachalke: “Those who volunteer for civic service will be treated like lepers and will be banned from Arab society… the state is trying to “Israel-ize” Arab youth, while blurring their Arab identity.” (27.11.07) צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

10. Principles Pertaining to the Arab Sector Arab Israelis will perform national service within their own communities Recipients of volunteer service will be prioritized by the local governments An advisory forum, made up of Arab-Israeli experts and members of the academia, will be established The public advisory board of the administration, will contain 2 Arab-Israeli members (presently one member of the board is Arab-Israeli) צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי

11. “Civic Service allows societies to pursue many goals that otherwise would be left unattended or poorly attended. Furthermore, it reduces divisiveness among people of divergent social backgrounds. Civil service enables people to find common ground that bridges cultural and political differences because it focuses on community strengthening…” Amitai Etzioni, 2007 צוות ההקמה, מנהלת השירות האזרחי-לאומי