RAMALLAH: Three Palestinian-dominated parties in the Israeli regime’s parliament are getting together to increase their share of seats in the legislative body following the passing of a law in March that critics say was designed to lower their representation.
The Balad party is looking to unite with the other two mainly Arab parties in the parliament, the Knesset, the United Arab List-Ta’al and Hadash parties, for polling purposes in the next national election.
The law at issue requires that parties gain 3.25 per cent of the ballots cast in order to secure a seat in the Knesset. Previously the level was set at two per cent.
Israeli daily Haaretz stated that rather than marginalising the indigenous Palestinian citizens of Israel from parliamentary representation, the three minority parties are viewing the change as an opportunity to increase the number of Arab parliamentarians from the current 11 to 14 or 15. Palestinian citizens of Israel are those who were not expelled or forced to flee by the invading Jewish forces before the Israeli regime was established in their country in 1948. Many take part in Israel’s political activities, a move that is criticised by some Palestinians as legitimising the regime.
According to Haaretz, the Hadash party is resistant to a unified list, but the newspaper cites Balad party chairman Jamal Zahalka as commenting that Balad and UAL-Ta’al would probably form a unified list even in the absence of Hadash.
Walid Al Mudalal, an expert in Israeli affairs, said that the Israeli legislation meant to be a weapon used against the Palestinians citizens might easily produce unity among those political parties. “The legislation is a real threat to the Palestinian political parties since the small Jewish parties will not suffer much under this legislation,” he told Gulf News.
“The Palestinian parties can easily form a political bloc and run the Israeli parliamentary elections in that single bloc with the possibility that each party can preserve its own identity.”
Al Mudalal said that running for parliamentary elections in a single bloc is “a real chance for unity and might also sway the undecided voters.”
In the aftermath of the Gaza offensive, Israel may call for new parliamentary elections as the current government under Benjamin Netanyahu might lose its majority.
