At 9:45 p.m., soon after election results were televised March 17, the heads of the Joint List arrived at their election night headquarters in the Abu Maher wedding hall in Nazareth. Even though they fulfilled their goal of becoming the third-largest party in the next Knesset (with 13 seats), they were disappointed. The party will not be able to block a right-wing government, and the promise to work for a fruitful coexistence with the Jewish sector appears as distant as ever.
Earlier that day, Israeli Arabs who already voted, and those who still debated whether to participate in the political game, realized that their participation was not at all welcomed. Moreover, it was perceived as a hostile act. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to prod right-wing electors to vote by saying, “The Arabs are going to the polls in droves.” But the facts regarding Arab voting percentages say otherwise. While the voting percentage among Israeli Arabs did rise in comparison with the previous election, and numerous Arabs returned to vote after more than a decade of boycotts, they did not go out “in droves.” Most of the Islamic movement people apparently paid no heed to the calls of the Joint List and the promise for change; instead, they remained in their homes. Even the opponents of the Balad movement among Hadash supporters vacillated throughout the day on whether to vote or not.
Hours before the polls closed, I saw that the “going in droves” description had no basis in reality. Joint List activist Mohammed Mahajneh said to me around noon, “You need to understand that the men have not yet returned from work, and the women won’t come alone to vote. They wait for their husbands.”
''But Netanyahu said that you are bringing your voters in droves, in buses and in a large fleet of vehicles,'' I kept asking. The Joint List headquarters people smiled bitterly. They knew that that was an intimidation spin of the prime minister to prod the fence-sitters to cast their votes for him. The Joint List activists hoped that Netanyahu’s threat would serve to galvanize the Arab electorate, but their early-morning enthusiasm dissipated by evening. The sensations of anger and resentment had their effect.
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