Palestinian politicians in Israel will run on a joint list for election to the Knesset in September.
The rare show of Palestinian unity may thwart a second attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition government, which he failed to do after elections in April.
The Palestinians have contested elections only once before on a joint list, in 2016, when they won 13 seats. Fragmented again in April’s poll, they won only 10.
If the Palestinian list repeats its 2016 performance, Netanyahu will struggle to form a coalition with his far-right allies. His failure to do so in April led to September’s election, and the prime minister’s position is further complicated by his indictment on corruption charges.
“We are fighting racism and we want the voices of the authentic Palestinian minority in Israel to be heard,” Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said. “We want to be part of the change in the political party landscape by defeating the right-wing forces and bringing down Netanyahu.”
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Another Knesset member, Aida Tuma-Suleiman, said the joint list was a victory for the Palestinian minority in Israel
and for the Palestinian people
as a whole.
“The joining together of different political factions is a unique occurrence in Arab political life,”
she said.
“With hard work we can get our people out to ballot boxes and get rid of Netanyahu once and for all.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
