A delegation of four Israeli Arabs headed by MK Taleb A-Sanaa made the trip.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFa sanaa 88(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
A delegation of four Israeli Arabs headed by MK Taleb A-Sanaa from the Arab Democratic Party (ADP) left Thursday for Qatar to meet with Qatari leaders.
Sanaa, a Bedouin from the Negev, said he would meet with Qatari leader Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa to discuss the situation of Israeli Arabs in Israel and the effects of the recent political developments on the peace process. The delegation, which will return Sunday, includes Abdulwahab Darawshe of the ADP, Hamdan Zmero, a member of the Histadrut leadership from the ADP, and Hussein Al-Rafaya, Head of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages in the Negev.
"We will also visit the offices of Al-Jazeera, which [US] President George Bush wanted to bomb, and we will thank the emir for his support for projects in Palestine," Sanaa told The Jerusalem Post.
Sanaa's visit was preempted by a similar visit by Hadash MK Ahmed Tibi. Tibi recently visited Qatar and returned with a $6 million check to build a sports stadium in the Israeli Arab village of Sakhnin, whose soccer team has gained fame. Most Arab MKs are now in a bind to garner support before the coming elections after the vote threshold to enter the Knesset was raised from 1.5% of the vote to 2%.