​In 2010, the UN General Assembly declared December 18th as International Arabic Language Day, in the framework of its efforts to promote multiculturalism.

There are over 420 million Arab speakers worldwide, and 1.7 million of them live in Israel, where they account for about 20 percent of the population.

Arabic is used daily by Israeli Muslims, Christians and Druze, as well as by Jews who originate from Arab countries. It is an official language in the State of Israel, alongside Hebrew.

And here are a few more interesting facts:

• Both Hebrew and Arabic are written from right to left, and the two languages share many other structural and vocabulary similarities.  This comes as no surprise, since both languages belong to the same "family" of Semitic languages.
• The country's laws are officially published in Hebrew, Arabic and English.
• All road signs, food labels, medicine brochures, safety regulations and messages published or posted by the government must be translated into Arabic. In fact, most of Israeli signage is trilingual: Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
• All information regarding elections must be provided in Arabic.
• In the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, MK's can give speeches in Arabic, and quite a few of them do so. On May 24 this year, the Knesset marked its own Arabic language day, conducting special committee meetings dedicated to the status of the Arabic language in Israel. 
• As for the media: a portion of public media productions (TV, radio) must be in Arabic, and commercial channels and various media platforms and advertising companies produce daily content in Arabic, as well. The online world is no different – many Israeli websites provide their services in Arabic, starting with official government sites.

Arabic in the education system

Israeli Schools: The study of Arabic language, culture and history is part of the Israeli educational curriculum.

From the beginning, the Israeli educational system has attributed great importance to the Arabic language. Most Arab Israelis study from kindergarten to high school in Arabic-speaking schools.  Moreover, Arab language lessons are widespread in Hebrew-speaking schools, in order to provide the younger generation with a better understanding of the complex culture and heritage of Arab citizens inside Israel, and of neighboring countries. 

In Hebrew-speaking public schools, Arab studies are compulsory for every student between the 7th and 10th grades, in addition to English. After the 10th grade, about 25% of students choose to continue studying Arabic until their graduation.

The Arabic language is also taught in elementary schools. In a new program launched recently, 5th and 6th graders learn spoken Arabic and Arabic culture. This is not just about general knowledge; the program aims to teach the youngsters the values of acceptance, tolerance and coexistence in our complex region.

In higher education, Israeli universities have world-class departments of Arabic language and literature and attract both Arab and Jewish students.

Moreover, the Council for Higher Education in Israel requires all government-funded higher education institutes to provide information in Arabic.  

The Arabic Language Academy in Israel: Realizing the importance of the Arabic language in Israel, the Arabic Language Academy was officially founded in 2007.  This institution, located in the city of Haifa and headed by Prof. Mahmoud Ghanayem, is dedicated to the study and research of the Arabic language, culture and literature.

The foreseeable future:

Israel will continue its efforts to enhance the knowledge of the Arabic language and its presence in Israel's public sphere, understanding that education is the best tool to bridge cultural differences and, ultimately, promote peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel.