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BUSINESS
Strength in Diversity
Ihab Atalla helps integrate Israeli Arabs into Startup Nation
A
rab citizens make up 21 percent
of Israelis but contribute just 8
percent to the GDP. The Arab minority has a poverty rate nearly three
times that of the Jewish population. It’s
estimated that the Israeli economy annually loses 31 billion shekels ($8.1 billion) from not realizing the potential of
the 1.7 million Israeli Arabs.
In 2013, Israeli-founded technology company Amdocs, which has a large
office in Alpharetta, opened a branch
in Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city.
Now Amdocs Nazareth is at the forefront of an Israeli revolution to bring
Arab citizens into the high-tech fold.
Ihab Atalla, who heads Amdocs
Nazareth, visited Atlanta on Thursday,
July 23, to speak about his mission to
integrate the Israeli high-tech sector.
The event was organized by the InterAgency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues and Conexx: America Israel Business Connector.
He sat down with the AJT after
his presentation to talk about Amdocs’
workplace in Nazareth.
AJT: Can you tell me about your presentation today and how you came to
be in Atlanta?
Atalla: First, I am vacationing [laughs].
I used to live in the States for about 10
years and moved back to Israel four
years ago. It was important for me to
come here and talk about the story of
our office in Nazareth and also to expose people to the idea of having more
Arabs working in the software arena.
AJT: Why is it so important to get Arabs
involved in the tech sector?
Atalla: Because I do believe that it can
help Israel as a state and improve the
economy. I also believe in coexistence,
and programs like this can definitely
help. The model can work.
AJT: You have Muslims, Jews and Christians all working together at your
Nazareth office. Was that something
you were prepared for when the office
opened?
Atalla: Diversity is an outcome; it’s
something we found ourselves having.
We found that good diversity is actually
a strength. We wanted to have an office
that would provide 24/7 support and
operations support. To be open 24/7,
you need to be open all days, including the weekend. On Saturday, which is
very religious for Jewish people, Muslims or Christians can work. Sunday is
a holy day for Christians, but Jews can
work. Diversity is very important to us.
AJT: So what’s the biggest thing you
want to get across to people here?
Atalla: OK, so two things. First, as a
business you can see that the diversity
is working. We have had very strong
results. Second, the opportunities for
Arab Israelis are now there, but they
need to grow more outside of Amdocs.
AJT: What is the Israeli government
doing to promote Arab inclusion in the
workforce?
Atalla: There are a few programs
out there right now. The president
of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, is trying to
bring more opportunities because
he believes in it. It