Joint List head vows to fight for Arabs’ rights

Ayman Odeh to fight to remove gaps on social and civil issues.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
President Reuven Rivlin meets with a delegation from the Joint (Arab) List at his residence March 22 (photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
President Reuven Rivlin meets with a delegation from the Joint (Arab) List at his residence March 22
(photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
Joint (Arab) List head Ayman Odeh pledged on Sunday that he would struggle in the coming Knesset against the security barrier, investment in the settlements and the removal of Palestinians from their land.
Odeh said he plans to present a plan in the Knesset that would remove the gaps on social and civil issues.
For example, illegal weapons need to be collected and employment opportunities need to be improved, especially among women, said Odeh, going on to mention that one measure that needs to be dealt with is the building of new industrial zones in Arab communities.
“The great support we received from Arab and Jewish citizens brings us to the Knesset in order to make real and substantial changes for all citizens.”
Odeh also mentioned that in the coming days he plans to declare a march from unrecognized villages in the Negev all the way to Jerusalem in order to draw attention to “the unbearable reality of life of the residents of these villages.”
Odeh, who is also the new head of the Jewish-Arab Hadash party, has put forth a different Arab face to the Jewish public, one that speaks to all of society, not just the Arab sector.
He has been interviewed in numerous Hebrew media outlets and has become a common face on the main TV programs this election season.
Odeh was in favor of the move to sign a vote-sharing agreement with Meretz, but it was reported that the nationalist Balad party blocked it.
MK Dov Henin (Hadash) said he would call for raising the minimum wage to NIS 30 an hour, the return of natural resources to the public and strengthening the public health system.
Aida Tuma Sliman (Hadash), said she would work against the violation of rights of Palestinian political prisoners and those that are minors. She also wants to promote civil marriage, the status of the Arabic language and culture and the employment of women.