Hadash chairman MK Mohammed Barakeh received a call early Wednesday from a member of the Palestinian Authority Legislative Council who offered his congratulations on the Arab Israeli lawmaker's electoral win.
"You have hard work and an important role ahead of you," said the unnamed PA legislator. "You must lead the fight against occupation and racism. We'll work on this, Jews and Arabs together."
Barakeh: History of Support for Terror, Anti-Zionism
Barakeh has had a history of involvement in anti-Israel activities and causes, including statements that just skirt the edge of what might be considered treason. He whipped a crowd of hundreds of Israeli Arabs and Druze in the Galilee city of Nazareth into an anti-Zionist frenzy during a 2005 rally, shouting, "A strong and resistant Syria will bring closer the day in which Jerusalem will become Palestine's capital." In his speech, the Israeli Arab Knesset Member compared the United States and Israel to a large and small spider trying to create trouble between Syria and Lebanon.
The party chairman also met in 2007 with Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) terror leader Naif Hawatmeh in Amman, Jordan, expressing his deep appreciation for the "historic ties" between the terrorist group and his party.
In addition, Barakeh was involved in a rock-throwing riot last year on Independence Day, in which hundreds of Arabs clashed with a group of Jews celebrating the holiday in the Lower Galilee. Five police officers were injured in the melee, and six rioters were arrested. Barakeh and a second Arab Israeli MK, Wasil Taha (Balad) both participated in the riot.
Main Goal: Stop Lieberman's Ascent
The party chairman said when this year's votes were counted that his main concern throughout the campaign had been to stop the rise of Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman, considered a major enemy of all of the Arab factions with which Hadash unites. Lieberman's party skyrocketed to become Israel's third largest party in Tuesday's election, garnering 15 mandates by the time 99 percent of the votes were counted at 5:00 a.m. Wednesday.
Although Yisrael Beiteinu is considered to be a right-wing, nationalist party, its platform includes a number of leftist elements, including support for civil marriage, and handing over Arab-populated parts of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority, making it a wild card that could go either way in coalition negotiations.
Both Kadima chairwoman MK Tzipi Livni and Likud chairman MK Binyamin Netanyahu, whose parties are separated thus far by only one Knesset mandate, are both expected to try to recruit Lieberman in their competing attempts to form a government coalition.
Barakeh, whose Communist Hadash party has won four Knesset seats according to the 5:00 a.m. count, said he would tell President Shimon Peres that he does not intend to join any government, regardless of who forms a coalition.
"We will tell him our vision of a future state," Barakeh said, when asked what he would say to Peres when his faction meets with the president to discuss formation of the next government. "I think he's smart enough to realize that this vision does not exist under any possible government."