Despite internal conflicts, Israel’s Arab party not splitting

As such, the question remains whether the future of the Joint List is in question, as Knesset member Abbas claimed, given tensions within the party. It is hard to believe so. Given the party’s remarkable success in the March 2020 election, when it won a record 15 seats, no one would dare break this alliance apart. And it’s not for the simple reason that whoever did that would be accused of harming Arab representation in the Knesset, just as Tibi was, when he announced that he was leaving the Joint List on the eve of the April 2019 election. As will be recalled, two Arab lists ran separately in that election: Ra’am-Balad and Hadash Ta’al, which won a total of just 10 seats. This was attributed to a low voter turnout of 49.2% in the Arab society. The Arab public was angry about the split, so it decided to punish its representatives by staying home on election day.

As such, no one should rush to the conclusion that the Joint List is about to split. Its members have already experienced the wrath of the Arab street, and they don’t want to do that again. On the other hand, no one makes light of reports about tensions within the list either. Each of the parties that make up the list want to stand out independently, rather than leaving the political and media arenas to Knesset members Odeh and Tibi, the Joint List’s two most prominent members.

Further evidence of this can be heard in comments made by Abbas to the allegedly pro-Netanyahu Channel 20, that he would not rule out cooperation with the Likud if he was approached. This may be what distinguishes the current iteration of Ra’am in the Knesset, under Mansour Abbas. He wants his party to stand out for the way it focuses on basic civilian affairs rather than the big political questions of the day. In order to achieve that, he has no problem cooperating openly with Netanyahu and the Likud, provided that such cooperation serves his constituents. In contrast, most cases of cooperation between Netanyahu, the Likud and the Arab parties are hammered out behind closed doors.

Further evidence of this can be found in remarks a senior political source in the Joint List made to Al-Monitor. He said on condition of anonymity, “It’s obvious to everyone that the Joint List won’t split up. On the other hand, because Hadash supported the bill banning conversion therapy, Knesset member Abbas skipped the party’s meetings, claiming that he was sick.” That seems to be the end of the story. Yes, there is tension; no, there will be no split in the party.

Abbas, a dentist by profession, is considered the new face of the Islamic Movement. He represents a relative pragmatic faction of that movement, and was responsible for a woman — Knesset member Iman Khatib-Yasin — being included on the party list for the first time ever. Nevertheless, even as a relative pragmatist, passage of the conversion bill in its first reading was still too much for him. After all, he still represents the Islamic Movement, which is opposed to the LGBTQ community and its rights.