Will only Arab party in Israel’s ruling coalition provide blueprint for others?
If Ra’am’s experiment as a partner in the government is successful, it could have lasting impact on Israel's political system.
On July 27, Knesset member Aida Touma-Sliman from the Joint List (a unified slate of predominantly Arab parties) was elected for the third time as head of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality.
On the same day, lawmaker Saeed Alharomi from the United Arab List (also known by its Hebrew acronym, Ra'am) was appointed head of the Knesset’s Interior Committee, though with reduced authorities due to a decision to split the committee into three.
These two nominations reflect the differences between the two Arab parties in the Knesset — a difference that runs deep into the Arab political system in Israel. Touma-Sliman will head the committee dealing with an important cause — women’s rights — but will mainly be limited to issuing declarative statements to promote these rights. Alharomi, on the other hand, will head a significant committee with operative powers that deals with day-to-day grievances — including planning and construction plans as well as citizenship issues, rights the Arab society in Israel frequently struggles with.
This dramatic division between these two Arab parties is a recent one and has the potential to impact the Israeli political system as a whole.
