Ahmed Tibi and Ayman Odeh
Ahmed Tibi and Ayman OdehYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

MK Ahmed Tibi (Joint List), who on Sunday recommended Benny Gantz as Prime Minister to President Reuven Rivlin, protested the state's treatment of its Arab population.

"There are moments in the life of a politician that need a decision that shows leadership, a decision that requires courage, and our decision is not white and black. We are here because almost half a million voters sent us here to make a change," Tibi explained the decision to recommend Gantz.

"Our public is tired of the exclusion, delegitimization, led not only by street punks but also by a leader who systematically incited against an entire public, and took us out of the circle of civic legitimacy. He always incited against us as if we were an enemy,” he claimed.

MK Tibi mentioned that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said in the past "Our forces are operating in Qalansawe."

"Qalansawe is a large city in the Triangle region, in the State of Israel. You say ‘our forces are operating’ about the enemy. Qalansawe is a city with residents which is suffering from demolitions of homes," said Tibi.

On the violence in Arab society, Tibi said, "It's our blood, and our blood is not cheap blood. Some people think we are the backyard of the State of Israel, we are not a backyard, we are not present absentees, we are not guests, we are the owners of this land. Not residents of this country, we did not immigrate here, we were born here, we are a native population, and this native population sent us to make a change."