Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir wants to defund Arab communities

Arab local authority heads have called on Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore his letter

Itamar Ben-Gvir has previously called for Arab citizens of Israel to be deported. AFP

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has demanded the government defund a multimillion dollar development plan for Israel's large Arab community approved by the previous administration.

The far-right minister has sent a letter to the cabinet secretary calling for the plan to be defunded, Israeli media reported on Tuesday, saying it followed calls for an interministerial team to examine barriers to housing for Arab citizens.

“It is unthinkable that the right-wing government will act to continue the implementation of the coalition agreements that the previous government granted to the Muslim Brotherhood and their representatives,” the minister said in his letter.

Mr Ben-Gvir is notorious for his anti-Palestinian views and has previously called for Arab citizens of Israel to be deported.

The economic plan “grants unprecedented budgets and powers to anti-Zionist elements,” the letter added.

The National Committee for the Heads of Arab Local Authorities has appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to disregard Mr Ben-Gvir's proposal, public broadcaster Kan has reported.

The ultraconservative government has faced strong public opposition from both Arabs and Jews, and its plan to overhaul the judicial system has been met with months of fierce protests.

Demonstrators blocked major highways on Tuesday and protested outside the national stock exchange in Tel Aviv, while Israel's medical association agreed to a two-hour “warning strike” on Wednesday morning.

Israel's Arab community constitutes more than 20 per cent of the population, but community activists and leaders say Arab citizens face systemic discrimination in various areas of society, including urban planning and education.

Previous governments have approved multiyear plans to “close the gap” between Arab and Jewish areas, including allocating more funds to Arab schools, housing and infrastructure.

Rights groups criticised the plans as insufficient and ineffective, with various groups not included – including Bedouin in the Negev desert and Arab communities in mixed cities such as Haifa.