Most of the public discussion surrounding Arab Israeli filmmaker Ibtisam Mara'ana, number seven on the Labor party's Knesset ticket, focuses on the reaction from the majority Jewish public. No one is really talking about the responses from the Arab street, but these are an important aspect of understanding the phenomenon.
Mara'ana didn't just make David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin turn in their graves, but also appalled the party's Jewish and Arab voters alike. In past years, candidates would have to fight hard to receive the party's secured slot for an Arab candidate – and the winner of the desired slot would wield considerable power within state bodies and Arab society. For the most part, these figures were intimately involved in everyday Arab society. By virtue of their status as members of Knesset for the ruling party, and then as members of the leading opposition party, they were considered a primary address for the Arab public; and for a certain time period were also members of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee. However, due to the party's slow death and dwindling clout, key figures in Arab society abandoned it in search of more serious alternatives.
Mara'ana, who came to win this spot on Labor's ticket, is indeed a unique figure from the Arab public's perspective – with all due respect to her artistic achievements. The Jewish left views her as a bridge and a refreshing change, but in Arab society, specifically traditional society, she is not considered representative. Beyond her biographical particulars – an Arab married to a Jew who lives in the Tel Aviv bubble – is also the perception of inconsistency. After presenting herself for years as an ardent anti-Zionist, which included provocative remarks on issues sensitive to the Jewish majority, such as Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, she has suddenly discovered she's suitable for the Labor party? It's not her entry into politics that's the problem, rather her decision to join the party most identified with the creation of Israel – a stark contrast to her public political identity. Does she suddenly see herself as a team player in the party that played the most dominant role in molding Zionist statehood?
The Arab street believes Mara'ana is reaping the benefits of Labor's dire condition, not as someone entering political life with an established record of public advocacy. Her left-wing Jewish supporters, those who believe she will attract Arab voters, will be disappointed to learn that the Arab street in no way views her as an authentic representative of mainstream Arab society or even Labor's traditional Arab voters.
It's too early to predict how she will function as a member of Knesset, and it's certainly possible she will prove to be a wonderful parliamentarian who truly earns the affection of her Jewish and Arab constituents. Among Labor's Arab supporters, however, many believe she will quickly find herself far from the levers of political influence, a proverbial hump on Labor's back rather than an asset that will help a dying party return to its glory days. This, incidentally, is the problem shared by all the Zionist parties, which search for and select their Arab candidates without conducting a serious dialogue with Arab society.
