On October 25, 2020, the Government of Israel approved a one-year extension to GR-922, the five-year economic development plan for Arab society spanning 2016-2020. This extension ensures the availability of unused GR-922 budgets in 2021 and commits to the formulation of a subsequent multiyear plan. It includes amendments to key housing development initiatives to enable better implementation in the coming year and retains adjustments to national budgets that were stipulated as part of the GR-922 agreement.
The extension comes on the heels of a September 22, 2020 meeting of the GR-922 interministerial steering committee that reviewed progress through mid-2020. Data collected in 2020 shows that, despite the Coronavirus crisis, advances were made both in allocation and implementation of budgeted funds. Still, significant barriers and delays to implementation means significant GR-922 budgets remain unused and many of its objectives are only partially met.
This short update includes the main implementation figures from the latest GR-922 progress report and details the commitments and amendments included in the extension.