Nazareth, Israel--Israel's once-squabbling Arab parties aim to bolster their influence in parliament to defend the rights of their minority with an unprecedented alliance forged ahead of snap elections.
The parties hope their show of unity will encourage a higher turnout among the 1.3 million Arab-Israelis who make up 20 percent of the population.
"Israeli law does not guarantee our rights," said Ayman Odeh, the leader of the unified Arab list.
"By forming a single list, we hope to (win more seats and) weigh in more heavily on political decisions taken in this country."
The united slate, announced in January, includes representatives from across the political spectrum, from Communists to Islamists.
Arab Israelis -- the descendents of about 160,000 Palestinians who stayed in Israel after its creation in 1948 -- are optimistic about its chances of success.
"Before, I would boycott the Arab parties because they'd fall into the trap of division over internal squabbles," said Rabiee, 38, who did not want to give his full name.
"This time I will give my vote to the united list," said the resident of Nazareth, Israel's biggest Arab city.
The Arab list, which polls show could win 12 seats in the March 17 election, one more than their combined total now, includes Muslim, Christian, Druze and even Jewish Communist candidates.
It comprises the Balad party, the Islamic Movement, the Arab Movement for Change, and Hadash, an Arab-Jewish socialist party.
While it is unlikely to be part of any coalition government, "the very fact that the ticket was put together, even if under duress, offers hope for a renewed positive momentum in Jewish-Arab relations," Israel Shrenzel, of Tel Aviv University's department of Arabic and Islamic studies, wrote in a commentary published on the Haaretz daily's website.
"If the Joint List continues to remains intact after the election as well -- an important condition for promoting genuine change -- and if the spirit of Hadash will dominate the slate, we can hope that large sections of the Jewish public and its representatives will extend a hand and be ready to battle attitudes of exclusion and discrimination."
- Anti-Arab hate -
A law penned by hardline Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman last year raised the percentage of votes needed for representation in the 120-member parliament from 2.0 to 3.25 percent.
The formation of the united list was a move to ensure no parties were thrown out of the Knesset because of the new threshold law, and to counter the extreme right of Israeli politics, Odeh said.
"Incitement and anti-Arab hatred increased significantly during the Gaza conflict," he told AFP, referring to Israel's military campaign last July and August against Hamas militants who fired rockets over the border.
afp
