MENA Minorities

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 M...

The just elected twenty third Knesset has some remarkable features: - four Druze MKs will be sworn in on March 16, which means a high degree of overrepresentation of the Druze community (barley 1.6 per cent of the total population according to official numbers). The Druze members will be: Fateen (Fatin) Mulla from Yarka for the Likud. He had been elected before in 2019 and seems the be the new "Druze No.1 representative" of the Likud instead of former minister Ayoob Kara. Gadeer Mreeh (Ghadir Mrih) from Daliyat al-Karmal for Blue and White. The the my knowledge first female Druze parliamentarian in the Middle East ever had also been elected before in 2019. It's worth mentioning that her candidacy was not opposed by the religious leadership. Jabar 'Asakla from the Eastern Galilee town of Mghar for the Joint List. 'Asakla is a secretary of the communist dominated HADASH gathering. He had also been elected first in 2019. Hamad 'Amar from the city of  Sh...

Über eine Woche nach den Kommunalwahlen in Israel steht nach einer Entscheidung von Wahlkommission und Innenministerium auch das Ergebnis in Nazareth fest link . In Israels größter arabischer Stadt löst ʿAli Salam nach 19 Jahren Ramiz Jaraisi (Demokratische Front für Nazareth-afiliiert mit HADASH ) als Bürgermeister ab. Ist Nazareth jetzt nicht mehr die "rote Stadt"? Es wird sich zeigen, immerhin ist Ali Salam der ehemalige Vizebürgermeister von Jaraisi und erst für seine Kandidatur aus dem von der KP dominierten  HADASH- Bündnis ausgetreten link .  Die Knessetabgeordnete Hanin Zuʿbi (Zoabi) von der nationalistisch-säkularen  BALAD- Partei erreichte nur knapp 10% der Stimmen und landete auf dem enttäuschenden dritten Platz. Zuʿbi ist die erste weibliche Knessetabgeordnete für eine arabische Partei und durch ihre Teilnahme an der Gaza-Flotte 2010 eine der bekanntesten und umstrittensten arabisch-israelischen PolitikerInnen. ...