Members of the Joint List initially dismissed Knesset member Ahmad Tibi’s Jan. 8 request to break away from the alliance of four Israeli political parties. Eventually, however, they realized it was no idle threat and that he was serious about running as an independent with the backing of many local Arab council heads and mayors. This support is of vital importance in the Arab community, where large extended families often vote as one. Such strong backing means better chances of getting sufficient votes to cross the electoral threshold — the obstacle that forced the four disparate parties to unite on the eve of the 2015 elections.
The Joint List was composed of four essentially Arab parties: Hadash, Ra’am, Balad and Ta’al. The union, however, was in name only. Plots, frictions and power struggles repeatedly undermined it in the absence of ideological glue to bind its components. Tibi’s decision followed failed attempts to obtain “fitting representation” for his Ta’al party within the Joint List in open primaries or a survey of Arab party voters.
