Nationalist activist Baruch Marzel has been appointed to serve as the chief observer at the polling station in the Israeli-Arab city of Um el-Fahm east of Hadera during the February 10 national elections.
The appointment by the Central Elections Committee was announced Monday morning. The head of the leftist Peace Now organization, Yariv Oppenheimer, immediately called on the Central Elections Committee to reconsider its decision.
Oppenheimer claimed that Marzel's criminal record for past demonstrations should disqualify him from being a polling station chairman. "The High Court of Justice has already ruled that the criminal record of the person appointed should be taken into consideration," Oppenheimer said.
By law, every party running for Knesset receives the right to chair a certain number of polling stations across the country, based on its size. The Ichud HaLeumi (National Union) has the right to chair 160 stations – 40 for each of its four factions: Moledet, Tekumah, HaTikvah, and Our Land of Israel. The Central Elections Committee randomly allocates the polling stations to the parties - and the Um el-Fahm station fell into Ichud Leumi's lap.
The party's Our Land of Israel faction then received the city's polling station, and chose Marzel to be the Polling Station Chairman in Um el-Fahm.
Marzel was sent to a rushed Central Elections Committee course on Sunday to learn voting procedures and how to prevent voting fraud.
“We have to maintain law and order in Um el-Fahm, just like in any other city in Israel,” Marzel told Israel National News. “If the National Union gets a lot of votes there, someone has to be there to make sure that they don’t get lost. In any event, we will go there ‘without any fear at all’ [in accordance with the party’s motto]. If there is democracy in Israel, then there is no choice but to apply it and maintain it everywhere. We are a party that doesn’t just talk about saving the Land of Israel, but also takes action against our enemies.”
Marzel and activist Itamar Ben-Gvir have been trying for several months to stage a nationalist rally in Um el-Fahm, a hotbed of the fundamental Islamic Movement. Though the police have stymied him, the High Court recently ordered police to allow the rally, but it agreed that it can be postponed until six weeks after the February 10 voting.
Arab MK Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the Balad party, instantly appealed the appointment of Marzel as Um el-Fahm voting monitor. "This is a provocative appointment that could disrupt the election process," he charged. "Marzel is known for his racist stances and has just recently been prevented from entering the city for fear of clashes."
Ichud HaLeumi (National Union) sources said, "What provocation? Jews have a right to be anywhere they want in this Land, and if no one else wants to go to Um el-Fahm, then we certainly must do so."
MK Zahalka himself is no stranger to charges of racism and provocation. The Balad leader has often declared his support for the position of enemy nations and has claimed that Israel has no right to claim sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Zahalka has also tried to undermine efforts to integrate Arab citizens into the fabric of Israeli society. The Arab MK vehemently protested a government plan to draft Arab youth to National Service and vowed that anyone who served would be ostracized. During discussions of the plan in October 2007, Zahalka threatened that any Israeli Arab who volunteered would be "treated like a leper, and will be vomited out of Arab society."