The Law that passed to Knesset to take out Arab members and how it is being countered

by Guest Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:57 am

12 March 2015 11:02 (Last updated 12 March 2015 11:18)
"The main objective of this law was to take out the small parties from the Knesset, while strengthening the presence of the big parties," Antoine Shalhat, a Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs, told The Anadolu Agency.

By Anees Barghouthy

JERUSALEM

Last year, the Knesset (Israel's parliament) passed a law raising the electoral threshold form 2 percent to 3.25 percent, a move seen as a blow to the assembly's Arab representation.

"The main objective of this law was to take out the small parties from the Knesset, while strengthening the presence of the big parties," Antoine Shalhat, a Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs, told The Anadolu Agency.

The bill, which passed by a vote of 67-0 in its third reading, was sponsored by Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu Party, and Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid Party.

The law means parties will need four seats instead of two to be able to have representation in the Knesset.

According to Shalhat, Arab parties were the main target of the law, which could lead to a reduction of their Knesset representation by half.

But surprisingly, the bill could turn in the Arab parties' favor, after they teamed up in a joint list to contest upcoming polls slated for March 17.

The list is comprised of four parties: Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality); the United Arab List; Balad (the National Democratic Assembly); and the Arab Movement for Renewal.

In past elections, the four parties – which have different ideologies – vied for Israel's Arab-dominated constituencies separately, and were usually able to clinch up to 3 percent each.

In the previous assembly, Arab parties had secured a total of 11 seats – four for Hadash, three for the United Arab List, three for Balad and one for the Arab Movement for Renewal.

"Formation of the joint [Arab] list dealt a severe blow to the [objective of] the electoral law," Shalhat told AA.

"Instead of 11, the Arabs can win up to 15 seats in the upcoming election, according to the latest Israeli opinion polls," he added, echoing predictions that the joint list would raise turnout among Arab voters.

In 2013 polls, 760,000 Israeli Arabs were eligible to vote but only 57 percent participated, according to Israel's Central Election Committee.

Arab lawmaker Masud Ghnaim of the United Arab List told AA that his party expected an increase in the number of Arab voters this time around.

"In 2013, around 331,000 Arabs voted for the Arab lists. We expect this number to increase by at least 15 percent [in the upcoming polls]," he told AA.

"The idea of a single joint list will encourage the Arab community to participate in the elections," he added.

Around 1.6 million Arabs live in Israel, accounting for roughly 20 percent of the country's eight-million-strong population, according to Israel's official statistics agency.

Israel refers to Palestinians who remained in historical Palestine following the creation of Israel in 1948 as "Israeli Arabs."

Around 5.9 million Israelis in total are eligible to cast ballots in the upcoming Knesset elections, which were prompted by divisions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government.

Unified

Jamal Zahalka, an Arab Knesset member who is running for reelection, said Arab parties had set aside their differences and agreed to present a unified front.

"Formation of the joint list came after consensus was reached among Arab parties on all political and social positions," Zahalka told AA.

"The Arab parties have common goals, the most important of which is to prevent the formation of a new Netanyahu government," he said.

Zahalka asserted that the joint list would not only represent Arab interests in the Knesset, but would also come to represent the third or fourth largest parliamentary bloc.

Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi of the Arab Movement for Renewal, for his part, stressed that formation of the joint list was the appropriate response to the increased electoral threshold.

"We believe the Arab parties under the joint list will come to represent the third largest power in the Knesset," Tibi told AA.

"It's a huge blow to those who stood against the presence of Arabs in the assembly," he added

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The Arabs who have voting rights are actually a small percentage of the the Arabs in permanent residence. Most are only allowed the same status as a long term visitor. Yousef Munayyer, an Israeli citizen and the executive director of The Jerusalem Fund, wrote that Palestinians only have varying degrees of limited rights in Israel. He states that although Palestinians make up about 20 percent of Israel's population, less than 7 percent of the budget is allocated to Palestinian citizens. He describes the 1.5 million Arab citizens of Israel as second-class citizens while four million more are not citizens at all. He states that a Jew from any country can move to Israel but a Palestinian refugee, with a valid claim to property in Israel, cannot. ( http://en.wikipedia.org wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel#Attempts_to_ban_Arab_political_parties )

by Guest Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:08 am

- “Arabs cannot possibly be anti--Semitic as they are themselves Semites.”
- “Jews who lived in Islamic countries during the days of the Islamic Empire were treated well by the Arabs.”
- “As ‘People of the Book,’ Jews and Christians are protected under Islamic law.”
- “Modern Arab nations are only anti--Israel and have never been anti--Jewish.”
- “Israel discriminates against its Arab citizens.”
- “Israeli Arabs are barred from buying land.”
- “Arabs held in Israeli jails are tortured, beaten and killed.”
- “Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is similar to the treatment of blacks in old South Africa.”
- “Israel is pursuing a policy of genocide toward the Palestinians that is comparable to the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews.”
- “Palestinians have the lowest standard of living in the Middle East.”
- “Israel uses checkpoints to deny Palestinians their rights and to humiliate them.”
- “Israeli checkpoints prevent Palestinians from receiving medical attention.”
- “Israeli textbooks are just as hateful as those in the Palestinian Authority.”
- “Israel is a theocracy and should not be a Jewish State.”
- “Israel is persecuting Christians.”
- “Hamas respects the rights of Palestinian Christians.”
- “Israel denies Palestinians basic rights and freedoms.”
- “The Goldstone Report proves Israel is guilty of war crimes in Gaza.”
- “Justice Goldstone remains convinced that Israel committed war crimes documented in the Goldstone Report.”
- “Israel’s blockade of Gaza is collective punishment.”

Roughly 21% of Israel’s more than eight million citizens are Arabs. The vast majority of the Israeli Arabs - 81% - are Muslims. Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights; in fact, it is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote. Arabs currently hold ten seats in the Knesset. Israeli Arabs have also held various government posts.

Arabic, like Hebrew, is an official language in Israel. At the time of Israel’s founding, only one Arab high school was operating, today, there are hundreds of Arab schools. Most Arabs attend these schools.

The sole legal distinction between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel is that the latter are not required to serve in the Israeli army. This was to spare Arab citizens the need to take up arms against their brethren. Nevertheless, many Arabs have volunteered for military duty and the Druze and Circassian communities are subject to the draft.

Some economic and social gaps between Israeli Jews and Arabs result from the latter not serving in the military. Veterans qualify for many benefits and jobs not available to non-veterans. Moreover, the army aids in the socialization process. On the other hand, Arabs do have an advantage obtaining some jobs during the years Israelis are in the military. In addition, industries like construction and trucking have come to be dominated by Israeli Arabs.

While there is no institutional segregation, Jews and Arabs have chosen to live separately in all but a handful of cities. Israelis all recognize that Arab villages have historically received less funding than Jewish areas and this has affected the quality of Arab schools, infrastructure and social services. Arabs are also underrepresented in higher education and most industries.

Israeli Jews and Arabs have surprisingly little contact with each other. Most young people study at different elementary and secondary schools and may not come into contact with one another until college; by then, many preconceived opinions have been formed. This lack of interaction exacerbates tensions between the two communities.

Israeli Arabs also face their own conflicts as Palestinians in a Jewish state. While identifying with the Palestinian people and disputing Israel's identification as a Jewish state, they see their future tied to Israel. They have adopted Hebrew as a second language and Israeli culture as an extra layer in their lives. At the same time, they strive to attain a higher degree of participation in national life, greater integration into the economy and more benefits for their own towns and villages.

Although Israeli Arabs have occasionally been involved in terrorist activities, they have generally behaved as loyal citizens. During Israel’s wars, none engaged in acts of sabotage or disloyalty. In some instances, Arabs volunteered to take over civilian functions for reservists.

The Law that passed to Knesset to take out Arab members and how it is being countered

The Law that passed to Knesset to take out Arab members and how it is being countered

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