After decades on the periphery of Israeli politics, Arab politicians have entered the mainstream
in Kfar Saba, a Jewish city near Tel Aviv, came from as far away as the Golan Heights in the north and Beersheva in the south. They crowded onto the terrace of a packed penthouse to hear a politician who promised to stop missiles from Gaza and counter hatred of Jews. With the crowd’s support, the politician continued, he could achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians via a two-state solution.
After decades representing insular parties on the periphery of Israeli politics, Arab politicians have entered the mainstream. The Joint List is the country’s third largest bloc. It is courting the Jewish vote ahead of parliamentary elections on March 2nd. It has removed more pugnacious candidates and sees a place for itself in a centre-left government. Balad, the bloc’s most radical party, has put a Jew on its list of candidates. The Joint List’s billboard campaign has an inclusive message.
The outreach seems to be working. In the election last September the Joint List increased its support in Jewish areas by 60% compared with the election in April, albeit from a very low base. Dahlia Scheindlin, a pollster, predicts it could increase again, perhaps giving the Joint List an extra seat . Jews attending a packed hustings in Tel Aviv spoke of abandoning Meretz, a left-wing Zionist party that has pushed Arab candidates down its list.
Mr Odeh says it is not so hard to imagine an Arab-Israeli prime minister. But his appeal has its limits. Two-thirds of Israeli Jews want to bar Arab parties from government. Over 40% oppose living next to an Arab, let alone voting for one. Yuppies flinch at the Joint List’s communist origins. Left-wing secular Jews are turned off by its Arab nationalist and Islamist cheerleaders. And the Joint List is bad at practising the equality it preaches. Just one of its 13 parliamentarians is Jewish.
This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition under the headline "In search of a one-party solution"
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Israeli Foreign Minister says 'people who support Israel' wont support Bernie Sanders after US Embassy commentOn Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz criticized U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for comments he made during Tuesday's party debate in which he spoke about potentially moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel, from Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv.
Read more »
Factbox: Countries evacuating nationals from coronavirus-hit areasA growing number of countries around the world are evacuating or planning to eva...
Read more »
Explainer: Coronavirus reappears in discharged patients, raising questions in containment fightA growing number of discharged coronavirus patients in China and elsewhere are t...
Read more »
Living Better Together: Japan’s Bold Move To Fight Dementia Means Adapting To ItDementia is one of the fastest-growing syndromes, with the number of sufferers expected to triple to 150 million by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Read more »
Coronavirus Latest News—Cases Spread Across Europe; China Fears Reinfection From AbroadItaly's infections continue to rise. Toy companies are struggling to fill retail orders as the epidemic disrupts the industry’s supply chain. Here's the latest you need to know about the coronavirus.
Read more »
A record high: 1 in 10 eligible American voters are immigrantsThe number of immigrants eligible to vote has risen 93 percent — from 12 million in 2000 to 23.2 million in 2020.
Read more »