The Blue and White list's flirtation with the Joint Arab List is doubtlessly the most dramatic development of this past year's election trilogy. Most attention has been devoted to remarks that Joint Arab List leaders have made about IDF soldiers and the war on terrorism, but the main story has to do with the list's basic positions about Zionism and the character of the nation. Harsh words bandied about in battle are one thing, but a program-based platform, legislation, and diplomatic initiatives are something else entirely.
As one might expect from a ticket comprised of four different parties, the Joint Arab List's platform is effectively a blend of Palestinian nationalism, socialist progressivism, and anti-Zionism that cannot be understated.
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For example, the platform opens with a demand to "put an end to the occupation of all the territories that have been occupied since 1967, dismantle all the settlements and the racist security barrier, release all political prisoners, establish an independent Palestinian state whose capital is east Jerusalem," and more. What about what little would be left of Israel after the great retreat? First of all, it would have to give up its nuclear weapons: "The list calls for Israel, which has the largest and most dangerous nuclear arsenal in the region, to disarm."
The list would also see Israel stripped of Zionism: "The list emphasizes that the Palestinians in Israel are the native residents." That has ramifications: "The Joint Arab List demands they be recognized as a national minority with group rights … as they are an inseparable part of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation."
Practically speaking, this means that the list will "fight against the confiscation of land, demolition of homes, and for recognition of all the unrecognized villages, first and foremost the villages in the Negev."
The right of return is also on the agenda: "The Joint Arab List aspires to recognize their right to have their villages and land returned and to return to them."
What's more, the Jewish state is deemed to have no links to any holy sites: "The Joint Arab List will fight to maintain protection of holy sites (the Waqf), for Islamic and Christian holy sites, and stresses that they belong to their owners, the native residents of Israel."
For anyone who still thought that there might be any possibility of the Joint Arab List agreeing to accept and integrate into Israeli society, the list makes it clear that it will "work to cancel laws and plans for conscription into the army and national service, and protect our people in every sector."
The plan also includes valuable information about the list's new partners on the Israeli Left. In the field of education, the list plans to prepare "programs to strengthen Arab students' sense of national belonging, teach them about the Nakba, and about the history of the Palestinian people, their legacy, and culture."
Moreover, the Joint Arab List plans to "fight to bring an end to the siege on the Gaza Strip," will reject "the Israeli demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state," and work to reverse the "decision to outlaw the [Northern Branch] of the Islamic Movement," and possibly worst of all - "the Joint Arab List will work to revoke mandatory conscription for Druze Arabs."
This is an all-encompassing vision of debunking the Zionist nature of Israel, at the most deep-seated level. Not a single Zionist or national principle is unchallenged by the Joint Arab List. Therefore, unlike cooperating with MKs from the list on specific legislative initiatives, negotiating to bring them into the government and make them part of shaping the nation would present a true crisis.
