On November 3, elected members of the Joint List – the progressive alliance of Arab-majority political parties in Israel – met for the first time since the October 27 Knesset elections. A meeting was also held between representatives of the Joint List and representatives of the Ra’am, the more conservative United Arab List headed by Mansour Abbas.
The statement issued at the end of the meeting stated that “both sides exchanged views on the political developments following the elections, and discussed the need to deepen cooperation in order to deal with the new challenges and work to oust the fascist right from power.”
According to Joint List chairperson Yousef Jabareen, “More than half a million citizens voted for the Joint List – young people, women, the elderly and men, in cities and villages. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who worked so hard to bring about this historic and unprecedented achievement. Half a million citizens, like me and like you, demand real change. And most of all, we demand hope and a horizon for a life of dignity, equality and peace. Throughout this entire election campaign, we were the only ones who spoke about peace, about hope and a better future for both peoples. And that is exactly how we will continue.”
Jabareen emphasized, “I am proud to head the Joint List, and proud that we will be the ones who will single-handedly prevent Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich from returning to power.”
A joint statement issued last night by Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) and the Communist Party of Israel stated that “the Arab public has proven its political strength – we will take all necessary steps to overthrow the Netanyahu government.”
The two parties held a lengthy joint meeting to discuss the election results and their implications. In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, they emphasized that the broad participation of the Arab public constituted a great political and public achievement, and that the responsibility now is to preserve this achievement and translate it into an organized force with the goal of bringing about the overthrow of the Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich governments, fighting fascism, and protecting the rights of the Arab public and the Palestinian people.
Hadash and the Communist Party congratulated their “partners in the Joint List and the elected Knesset members for the trust placed in the list by half a million citizens and for its representation by 11 Knesset members. Our gratitude goes to the thousands of activists, volunteers, who carried the campaign on their backs in every town and neighborhood. We also salute the democratic Jewish forces and voters, who stood up against the racist current and stood by the Joint List.”
The parties also stated, “We must work to recognize Arab citizens as a legitimate and equal political force. The election results revealed the contradiction between the pretense of adhering to democracy and national exclusion, racism and Jewish supremacy, and the political limits of Netanyahu’s opponents who hesitate to confront their racist positions.
“Our mission is to translate these contradictions into political action, strengthen cooperation with everyone who recognizes the political legitimacy of the Arab public, and establish a broad front that will isolate fascism and fascists.
“Casting doubt on the purity of the elections in Arab communities, the attack on the increase in voting rates, and the threatening persecution of activists are a political campaign designed to delegitimize Arab citizens. We warn that Netanyahu and the far right are preparing the ground for rejecting the election results if they lead to their removal from power, and for fueling fascist incitement – especially if an alternative government is formed that relies on the votes of Arab Knesset members. This is an attempt to steal the will of the voter and a dangerous step on the path to undermining the rights, freedoms, and legitimacy of our political representation.”
The parties further stated: “The dangers inherent in the Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich government go beyond discrimination, oppression and the demolition of homes, the spread of crime and the rampant racism under its auspices.
“This is a government of a war of annihilation and expulsion in Gaza, of deepening the occupation and expanding the settlements and giving free rein to settler terror in the West Bank, of harming holy places and striving to eliminate the Palestinian issue and thwarting the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence.
“The government’s continued tenure threatens the future of the entire region due to its reliance on military force, expanding wars and igniting new fronts. Trump’s presence in the White House doubles the danger of Netanyahu’s continued rule, given the support and backing he may provide for war, annexation and expulsion.
“Therefore, the overthrow of this government is an urgent historical task in order to protect the public and the Palestinian people and their rights, to protect freedoms and to deal with the danger of dragging the peoples of the region into more bloodshed and destruction.”
Regarding the Change Bloc – the loose alliance of Zionist parties who are opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government – the Communist Party and Hadash “are not nurturing illusions regarding the forces that present themselves as an alternative to Netanyahu. We are aware that the establishment of another government will not automatically bring with it a profound change in Israeli policy, an end to the occupation, the abandonment of military solutions, or the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“However, this recognition does not diminish the necessity of overthrowing the current government. Its continued existence carries with it the danger of tightening its control over government institutions, completing the regime coup, and entrenching mechanisms of oppression and exclusion in a way that will be difficult to reverse. Its overthrow could place a barrier to this rampage and create a crack in the path of fascist deterioration.
“This move could open up a broader space for the Jewish-Arab political and public struggle and the campaign for an alternative based on true equality, social justice, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of a new state.
“Making this possibility a reality requires our independent and organized struggle, and will not be achieved by simply changing the government.”
Both the Communist Party and Hadash support the position presented by the Joint List, according to which “a safety net should be provided to the Arab public and all the weakened and marginalized strata, in exchange for any parliamentary safety net for an alternative government, even though in the current political conditions we do not see any possibility of joining the government and taking responsibility for its policy.”
The two parties concluded that they will work “to expand the partnership in the fight against fascism beyond the three components of the Joint List and beyond parliamentary activity alone, in combination with the Supreme Monitoring Committee of the Arab public, local authorities, civil society organizations and trade unions, youth and women’s movements, and with the Jewish democratic forces.
“Our goal is to build a broad popular and political force that will protect the equality and legitimacy of Arab participation, and connect the fight against fascism with the fight against the occupation and for a just peace. We will make every effort to prevent repeat elections as much as it depends on us, and we will translate the election results into the removal of the [Netanyahu] government from power.”
Zo Haderekh
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