The new Israeli Arab political representation: The aftermath of electing a new chairman
A great event transpired among the Arab population in Israel at the end of April, 2009. Mr. Mohamad Zeidan former Mayor of the Kfar Manda Local Council was elected to be the new Head of the Arab Follow up Committee. Mr. Zeidan was elected by a consensus of members of the Follow up Committee which includes Mayor, MKs from all Parties and heads of Arab political movements. Actually, this is the first time ever that the position has been divided in two. Mohamad Zeidan will be the Head of the Follow up Committee and Mr. Ramez Jaraisy, the Mayor of Nazareth, will be the Head of the National Union of Arab Councils and Mayors. Both Mr. Zeidan and Mr. Jaraisy have been participating in directing and administering the Follow up Committee but in two different areas, the political and the municipal.
Mr. Zeidan was a compromise choice and outsider, who was brought from the Secretariat of the Follow up Committee to balance the different political forces inside the Follow up Committee. Zeidan will try to maintain his job by working collectively with all Parties. Zeidan was a communist when he was young during the late 1960s. Later he ran for the Knesset with the Arab Democratic Party but failed to win a seat. Currently, he is close to all the political parties and movements. He is also accepted by the Communists, Liberals and both branches of the Islamists. All the Parties agreed to nominate him in order to bring fresh blood and to bridge the rift between all the parties. It is not certain how much power he will wield and how he can run the Follow up Committee given the complicated circumstances of the new political reality. Neither is it sure whether he will use new techniques to face the rising ultra national policy of Israeli decision makers.
Concerning opposition to the new laws which were submitted by Lieberman's party, Zeidan strongly attacked the Loyalty and the Naqba laws. However, some other Israeli political circles were aware of the danger of these two laws and have been fighting against them because they work strongly against Israel itself and its image more than against the Arabs. On the other hand, both Islamic movements, the Northern Branch and the Southern Branch, ignored these laws and didn't take them seriously although they deeply affect the status and the nature of the Arabs in Israel.
Former MK. Abbas Zaqour from the Southern Islamic Movement decided during 2007 to split from the Movement. He was expelled from the Southern Islamic Branch and decided to keep his Parliamentary seat for himself. Later he joined the National Democratic Party which was headed by Dr. Azmi Beshara and was placed fourth on their list. He was not elected but is waiting for a rotation with the party's number two Adv. Said Nafah.
Mr. Zaqour caused great damage to the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. What transpired showed that this movement is like every other secular movement looking for Knesset seats and personal interests. However, with a strict decision and swift action the Southern Branch succeeded to reconstruct itself by electing a new young journalist to replace Mr. Zaqour, Mr. Masoud Ganaiem from Sachnin. They also elected Mr. Ibrahim Sarsour as Chairman which is a cooperative endeavor of Dr. Ahmad Tibi and Mr. Talab El Sanan and the Arab Democratic Party. Surprisingly all four were elected to the Knesset and all four are members of the Follow up Committee.
The Southern Branch which has popular support mainly in the Galilee is trying to recruit for more political participation and influence. In addition to its dedicated and continued mobilization, the Southern Branch is also working effectively with all the Arab Knesset members and the members of the Follow up Committee. It is fighting for more political representation. At the same time they are working without any results for the unification with the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement.
Moreover, the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel has less belief in the efficiency of political participation in the Israeli Parliament. It believes in the political "game" but only within the local Arab authorities. Shiech Raed Salah, Head of the Northern Branch, occupied the post of Mayor of Um El Fahem for many years. There also are other Mayors from the Northern Branch. They also believe in the importance of Arab political representation. They are also represented inside the Follow up Arab Committee and in the National Union of Arab Councils and Mayors.
The Northern Branch mostly focuses on the holy Muslim sites which were deserted and neglected. They are working very hard for the recognition of Muslim Waqf properties from the Israeli government. They are mainly fighting against the concept of 96% of the land having been seized and confiscated over by the Menhal Mekarkai Israel, the Israeli Lands Authority. Their most important achievement came from fighting against the government confiscation of the Roha Land near the Triangle. Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque is an important issue on their agenda. They strongly challenge Israel over the image of Jerusalem as a Moslem City versus the Israeli claim that it is the Capital of Israel.
The Northern Branch coordinates somewhat with the Southern branch because both branches originate from the same party which was founded by Shiech Nimer Darwish from Baqa El Garbia. Currently, both parties recognize the fact that the two branches are actually two different and separate movements. The two parties partially cooperate in the Follow up Committee but not on the issue of political participation in the Israeli Knesset. The overall trend of Arab Political Unification in the next elections to the Knesset might lead to more dialogue between the two movements. The reconstruction in the Follow up Committee process will also affect the dialogue between the two parties.
Mohamad Zeidan who is an independent candidate without any political affiliation might succeed in stabilizing the Committee and conducting a new process of influencing Israeli politics mainly by opposing the new Lieberman laws which aim to increasingly marginalize the Arab population. If he succeeds, then the politicians who support political participation will gain more influence at the expense of those who don't believe in political participation. In that sense, dialogue, cooperation and coordination are dependent on the new Chairman.
The author is a journalist and member of The Arab Council for Foreign Relations.
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