BAQA AL-GHARBIYYE, Israel — One week after the general elections, Israeli Arab politicians are still trying to recover from the results. Both Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al succeeded getting into the parliament, but Balad failed to pass the Knesset-entry threshold. The Arab electorate, some 21% of Israel’s population, now have only 10 Knesset members representing them. These future 10 Knesset members now represent some 21% of Israel’s Arab population. In the previous Knesset, non-Jewish lawmakers held 14 seats.
With such disappointing results, no wonder that most senior Israeli Arab politicians have been quiet on social media ever since the elections. Only Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh tweeted Nov. 4, “That’s the way it is in the Jewish demographic state. Whoever votes for equal and justice for all citizens becomes the enemy.”
