MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Joint List) justified the Arabs’ participation in the election in an attempt to topple the Netanyahu government.
In an interview with the Hamas-affiliated Al-Risala newspaper, Touma-Sliman said that the Joint List seeks to prevent Netanyahu from forming a government, as he dangerous to the Palestinian issue.
Netanyahu, she claimed, is blocking the establishment of an independent Palestinian state through annexation of the “settlements” and control of the Jordan Valley and Golan Heights and, as such, removing him from the arena would thwart the "settlement plans" and allow Palestinians to become stronger as they accept their rights and face the new reality.
Taking part in the elections by the Arab parties which merged under the Joint List, Touma-Sliman stressed, was intended to represent the suffering of the "Palestinian people" in its fight against the “occupation” and not to portray Israel as a democratic state.
Touma-Sliman claimed that Israel is implementing a policy of national and racial discrimination and rejected a normalization by Arab countries of their ties with Israel, emphasizing that "we must maintain the Palestinian Arab identity."