Israels Arab political

parties have united for the

first time

A
Joint List campaign billboard in the Arab Israeli town of Umm el-Fahm. Israels Arab
minority is hoping to gain much-needed muscle after next weeks parliamentary
election, with four Arab parties uniting under one banner for the first time. (Ammar
Awad/Reuters)

By Ruth Eglash-March 10 at 3:30 AM

TAYBEH, Israel A coalition of once fractious Arab parties is suddenly emerging as

Israels newest power bloc, forcing the Jewish state to pay attention to its large Arab
minority as never before.

If polls taken ahead of next weeks general election are accurate, Arab Israelis could
end up heading the third-largest political faction in Israels next parliament, giving a
voice to the often-sidelined Arab population.
Its a remarkable of twist of fate for Israels 1.7 million Arabs, who make up roughly
20 percent of the countrys population and have never had much political clout.
It could also mean that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arab
Muslim, Christian, Druze and even Jewish politicians representing ultra-religious
Islamists, uber-secularists, liberals, nationalists, capitalists, socialists and communists
have succeeded in forming a united group.
Ironically, the coalition is a result of a move last year to increase the minimum number
of votes a party needs to secure a place in the 120-seat Knesset, Israels parliament.
Some saw that change as an attempt to oust small Arab parties, but instead it
prompted the fragmented and fairly powerless Arab leadership to unite under the
banner of the Joint List.
It remains to be seen whether the Joint List will wield significant power. Because of its
objections to the Israeli governments treatment of the Palestinians, it is unlikely to
agree to become part of a ruling government coalition. It is also unlikely to be invited
to join the government.
What is clear, however, is that the Joint Lists growing political presence is bringing
hope to a minority community that often feels marginalized in Israeli society.
We represent those who are invisible in this country, and we give them a voice. We
also bring a message of hope to all people, not just to the Arabs but to the Jews, too,
said Ayman Odeh, who heads the largest group in the coalition, Hadash, a communist
party with both Arabs and Jews as members.
The response of Jewish political leaders to the Joint List has included outright attacks

from the far right, comments dismissing the coalition as a temporary fad of this
election cycle, and frustrated attempts by the far left to cash in on its anticipated
success.
Over a recent cup of coffee, Odeh, a soft-spoken lawyer from Haifa, said he shared a
dream similar to that of Martin Luther King Jr. and hoped to see Arabs and Jews
marching together to Jerusalem, calling for equality.
Dreams aside, Arab party candidates must confront multiple social and economic
challenges inside their community and must also address threats from outside. Often,
Arab political leaders are labeled loudmouth troublemakers working against the
Jewish state.
Last week, as part of the partys campaigning, Odeh met with the heads of the three
other factions in Taybeh, a town of 50,000 Arabs that has seen a rise in gang violence
and homicide. The day of the meeting, two men were shot in the street. The leaders
signed a document pledging to fight thesoaring crime rate among Arabs as soon as
they enter the Knesset.
All agreed the issue was a high priority and said they would use the partys newfound
power to draw attention to Israeli Arabs plight, demanding greater budgets to fight
crime, boost education and improve physical infrastructure.
Veteran Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, head of the Taal party and now part of the Joint
List, said that although the coalition would never join the government, it could still
have significant power.
He pointed out that in 1992, the Arab parties did not join the government but threw
their support behind then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, creating a preventive bloc
in exchange for his assistance in improving public services to Arabs.
We could do something the same this time, Tibi said.

But some observers doubt the newfound unity will last beyond election day, and others
believe the final vote tally for the Join List will be much lower than predicted.
In the past, many Arabs refrained from voting, either despairing that their status
would ever change or protesting Israels occupation of the West Bank. Despite their
Israeli citizenship, many Arabs identify themselves as Palestinians. In the last election,
57 percent of the eligible Arab public voted, according to the Central Bureau of
Statistics.
The Arab people really need this united party, said journalist Makbula Nassar, who
hosts a popular call-in show on a local Arab radio station.
She said that in the past there was a feeling that no one could bring change for the
Arabs. But now, she said, those calling her show talk about hope. Nassar also said
she is getting the sense that even those who never voted before might consider doing
so this time.
It is very important now as an Arab to vote, because for the first time we have a united
Arab party, said Fadi Hajiahja, a 38-year-old nurse. We called on them to unite many
years ago, and now they are doing it. I hope that God stands behind them and we get as
many seats as we can.
Sawsan Ijmael, 55, said much the same. There is strength in unity, she said, and we
will have a strong foot in the Knesset. I dont expect the Joint List to bring about big
changes, but at least the Jews will now hear our voice.
Odeh and the Joint List were propelled into the national spotlight after a recent
televised debate among eight candidates. At one point, Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman, head of an ultra-nationalist Jewish party, asked Odeh why an Arab and a
Palestinian would run for election to Israels parliament.
Shouldnt you be running for office in Gaza? Lieberman asked.

The foreign minister has made no secret of his negative views of Israels Arabs,
describing them as a fifth column and suggesting that some of the largest Arab
Israeli cities be swapped with Jewish settlements under any future peace deal with the
Palestinians.
Odehs cool answer that his party is soaring in election polls and has greater support
than Liebermans faction turned him into a hero of sorts among Arabs.
Everyone is talking about how he embarrassed Lieberman, said Mahmoud Abu Ras,
a doctor, who was buying falafel in one of Taybehs famous hummus restaurants.
Odeh is well educated and civilized, and he is doing a very good job of running the
election campaign, said Abu Ras, who was still unsure if he would vote. Our leaders
used to fight all the time, but now, under him, they are united.

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