Village for Arabs with special needs to be built in Galilee

President Shimon Peres on Tuesday took part in a ground breaking ceremony for the first community designated for Arab-Israeli adults with special needs.

The village of Alfanara will be built next to Kishorit, a community for Jews with special needs located in the Galilee region.

"We haven't seen a kibbutz with this much motivation since the days of A. D. Gordon (Zionist ideologue)," Peres said during the ceremony.

Peres lays cornerstone for village (Photo: Ido Becker)

The construction of the village's first building, a Jewish-Arab democratic school, is set to be completed within the next two years.

Rafa Kareem, who helped found Kishorit and is expected to run the new village said, "Twelve years ago we tried to integrate Arabs into Kishorit, but it didn't work out, mainly due to differences related to custom and tradition."

Kishorit boasts a goat farm, dog kennels and wooden toy factory, with all proceeds going to help fund the project, which will see the members of both villages work together.

"As far as I'm concerned this is a model for co-existence," said Kareem, "It's amazing that society's weakest link ends up being the one to join hands. Inshallah (God willing), these people will have an influence on the general population," said Kareem.

During the ceremony, which was also attended by Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog (Labor), participants signed a scroll that was planted at the construction site and read, "Let us live side by side, Jews and Arabs, in good neighborly relations."

Peres also told those on hand, "I would call on all the speakers in Jerusalem and Bethlehem (referring to Fatah's congress) to come here – and those who say there is no partner for peace, they should come here and see that a partner can be created, not only discovered."