For the first time in Israeli history, an Arab party, Ra’am, which represents the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, is part of the ruling government coalition. Prominent Middle East scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar noted that Ra’am is essentially a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is also part. Prior to the last election, Arab parties generally refrained from supporting any governing coalition.
However, Ra’am, unlike the other parties that were part of the Joint Arab List, decided to be pragmatic and to utilize their voting power to obtain concessions from the Jewish political parties. They understood that if Israel’s Arab population wants to achieve anything, it must be ready to work with Jews and not boycott the entire system. The question remains, what do Israeli Arabs and Palestinians think about this unprecedented participation in the new Israeli government?
An Israeli Arab who served in the IDF for 20 years told Israel Today: “We don’t know much about Ra’am but I would not worry about them. They may...
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