Roundup: The Arab members of the 24th Knesset

Israel voted (again) on  March 23 so lets have a look at the Arab members of the new Knesset and possible successors:

Likud (30 seats)
  • Druze Fatin Mulla from Yarka (28th slot) is currently deputy minister in the caretaker government and reenters the Knesset.
  • Nael Zoabi, a former principal, was presented as the party's first ever Arab and Muslim candidate (39th slot). He and former Druze minister Ayub Qara (42nd slot) have only theoretical chances to become a MK's in the years to come due to resignations.

Blue and White (8 seats)

  • Mufid Marid (9th slot), a Druze military officer from Hurfaish on the Lebanese border has good chances to enter the Knesset in case his party makes it to government. The female Druze candidate of the last elections, outgoing MK Ghadir Mrih, switched over to Yesh Atid after  the coalition of Benny Gantz with Likud and recently announced a break from politics.

Labor (7 seats)
  • Controversial filmmaker ("Lady Kul El-Arab"Ibtisam Mara'ana (7th) finally made it, even though she was almost banned from running. 
Yisrael Beiteinu (7 seats)
  • MK Hammad 'Amar (6th slot)  from the mixed Arab city of Shafaʻamr is now the veteran Druze representative in the Knesset. He has a sober more action less talk image and unlike Ayub Qara he is strongly opposed to the nation state law.

The (Arab) Joint List of HADASH, TA'AL and BALAD (6 seats):

  1. Ayman Odeh (HADASH) the chairman of the communist-dominated HADASH. The Haifa native is from a Muslim family even though some analysts mistook him for Christian,
  2. Ahmad Tibi (TA'AL). Is known for his excellent commandment of Hebrew, often referring to wordplays. The former Arafat-advisor has good ties to some proponents of Jewish parties, most prominently to president Rivlin. He is by far the most seasoned Arab party leader in Israel, his party however, long carried the reputation of being a one man show which has changed in the meanwhile.
  3. Sami Abu Shehadeh (BALAD) is the newly elected leader of the secular party often labeled as "extreme" or "hawkish" which produced the most controversial Arab Israeli politicians in recent times. Abu Shehadeh is from Lod and lives in Jaffa, both mixed Jewish-Arab cities.
  4. Aida Touma-Sliman (HADASH) is the only Christian MK so far and the only female MK entering the Knesset on behalf for the Joint List.
  5. Osama Saadi (TA'AL) is a lawyer and veteran activist of TA'AL.
  6. Ofer Cassif (HADASH) is the traditionally (lone) Jew in the faction, representing the Jewish-Arab tradition and ambition of his party.
I could find nothing about rotation agreements but I guess there are some so the make up of the Joint List faction might change over the years. Apart from that:
  • One Druze, Jabar Asakla from the Lower Galilee town of Maghar, might enter later for HADASH (11th)
  • Each party has one female candidate in the top 12.

Meretz (6 seats)
  • Ghaida Rinawie-Zoabi (4th slot), a known activist from Nazareth.
  • Isawi Fraj (5th) was sidelined in the last election when the Labor-Meretz-Gesher ticket brought no Arab in the Knesset.
  • Druze candidate 'Ali Salalha (9th) from Bait Jann has a very slim chance to enter at a later stage.
RA'AM (4 Seats)
  1. Mansour Abbas, the chairman of the party representing the Southern branch of the Islamic Movement is from the Druze majority town of Maghar in the lower Galilee. Before becoming a potential kingmaker he was mostly known to a wider public due to his opposition against LGBTQ rights.
  2. Mazen Ghanaim, the mayor of the Arab city of Sakhnin.
  3. Walid Taha is from Kafr Qasim.
  4. Said al-Harumi is from the Negev and of Bedouin heritage.
  • Iman Khatib-Yasin (5th), who was one of the first if not the first (I'm not sure) hijab-wearing MK, might enter the Knesset if RA'AM enters the government - a case which is not as unrealistic as it sounds like.

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