Last year the Israeli-Arab population voting percentage dropped to 44.6%, an all-time low.
The prospective government was referred to by its opponents as based on fraud, dangerous to Israel’s security, “Left,” incoherent and therefore illegitimate.
More than a fifth of Israel’s nine million citizens are Arabs, and there is every reason to include an Arab party in the new coalition.
Whether enough Jewish parties would be willing to sit with Arabic parties in order to form a government however, remains a different question altogether.
Lapid’s answer is a positive sea-change in the political discourse surrounding the Joint Arab List.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled on Friday to the Arab town of Umm el-Fahm to personally witness the one-millionth person in Israel to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Kfar Bara is characterized by a homogeneous population of 100% Muslim Arabs and has enjoyed relative electoral stability and strong local leadership for the last 15-odd years.
"We turned to Facebook. They must act immediately to put an end to this racist and dangerous incitement by Netanyahu against the Arab population," said Joint List leader Ayman Odeh.
“We will work to improve Arab turnout so the Joint List will be a force to be reckoned with in Israeli politics,” said Balad leader Mtanes Shehadeh.
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