The Joint Arab List has been under a great deal of pressure in recent weeks, which is only expected to increase the closer we get to the national elections.
Although members speak of the "need for unity" and preventing Benjamin Netanyahu from returning to power, they are all preoccupied with who will make it onto the party's 10-person electoral list. As such, it paints the representatives of the Arab public in the Knesset as self-centered and egoistic, which alienates many voters.
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On the other hand, it proves that the Joint Arab List, which in 2019 took the unprecedented step of including the Ra'am party in the elections, is not a faction that unites representatives of the Arab minority as a national and ethnic one, but rather a prestigious fraternity that makes it hard for newbies to join.
One can even say that there is a boycott in the works, for the vast majority of the Arab public are expected to sit out the upcoming elections, not only because of ideological reasons but also due to apathy and disappointment.
The prevailing feeling is that the Arab voice has no impact in the coalition, and certainly not in the opposition, and will always remain on the political sidelines.
The Israeli Right, which is fighting to return to power, has no reason to worry because the number of Arab lawmakers in the Knesset will stay at their current number, at best, or, at worst, decrease by half. According to polls, no more than 40% of Arab Israelis are planning to make it to the voting booths on November 1.
The Arab public in Israel – and certainly the representatives of Arab factions as well – see and feel great disappointment with politics, especially its almost non-existent impact on significant matters in the Knesset, but also see the anti-Arab rhetoric and calls by the Right against including Arabs in the coalition, and even the opposition.
The challenge of the Joint Arab List is more external than internal, and leader Ayman Odeh is already facing criticism, especially from Balad representatives, many of whom are calling for a significant boycott of the elections.
There are also rumors Balad might run separately, which will surely result in its failure to garner enough votes to make it into the Knesset, but the goal is to exert heavy pressure on Joint Arab List members to accept some of their terms.
The main requirement is two leading positions on the electoral list, for example in the first five, which under the current circumstances, will not happen, since Balad is the smallest faction of the Joint Arab List.
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