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Israeli Arab party poised to reshape country's politics

Many Israeli Arabs believe that the unification of the Arab parties into one joint list and the momentum this move has generated will be translated into high voter turnout in the Arab sector and real change.
ABU GUSH, ISRAEL - MARCH 17:  Arab Israeli women stand outside a polling station on election day on March 17, 2015 in Abu Gush, Israel. Israel's general election voting has begun today as polls show on that Chairman of the Zionist Union party, Isaac Herzog stands as the only rival to current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
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No one who has toured the Arab communities in recent days needs to wait for the exit polls to realize that a clear-cut and historic turnabout has taken place in this Israeli election, at least among the Arab sector. It is poised to rock and reshape Israel's political map.

As of the time of writing (March 16), one day before the general elections, it remains uncertain whether the predominantly Arab Joint List will indeed become the third-largest party in the new Knesset, as the polls predict. However, there isn't a shadow of doubt that the whole Joint List is greater than the sum of its parts. The unification of the Arab slates has been conducive to a political momentum the likes of which the Arab sector cannot recall. The circumstances that brought about the unification also catalyzed the Arab population to do away with their boycott of the Israeli elections since the events of October 2000.

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