Knesset member Ayman Odeh (Hadash) says that according to polls, about 85 percent of Arab citizens of Israel support the establishment of a single joint list to run in the Knesset elections, and that political unity is the key to fully realizing the Arab public’s electoral power.
Yesterday, the heads of the Arab parties signed a commitment document at an event in Sakhnin pledging to work toward reestablishing the Joint Arab List ahead of the next elections, though no final agreement on a unified slate has yet been reached.
The document was signed by Ta’al chairman Ahmad Tibi, Hadash chairman Ayman Odeh, Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, and Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas - the four leaders of the parties that previously comprised the Joint List.
In an interview with the Arab-Israeli news site “Al-Jarmak," Odeh said the basic mission at present is to raise voter turnout among Arab voters in the Knesset elections in order to “bring down the Israeli government," which he described as “fascist" and accused of responsibility for the ongoing wave of crime in Arab society.
According to Odeh, the best way to increase voter turnout is through political unity, and in the current political climate it is vital to form a unified list that brings together Hadash, the southern branch of the Islamic Movement (Ra’am), Balad, and Ta’al under one umbrella party.
Odeh expressed hope that the move will soon come to fruition, allowing for an official and legal declaration on the reestablishment of the Joint List, which achieved a record result of 15 Knesset seats in the 2020 elections.
Addressing Ra’am, which represents the southern branch of the Islamic Movement, Odeh said that disagreements between the parties can be overcome in light of the magnitude of the challenges and the overarching goal of changing the political map and replacing the government.