Ayman Odeh, the chairman of the Joint Arab List party, visited Palestinian terrorist Khalida Jarrar, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in her home in Al-Bireh near Ramallah on Monday following her release from Israeli prison.

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Jarrar is a Palestinian lawmaker and a senior official with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization, whose members carried out an attack in Samaria in 2018, murdering 17-year-old Rina Shnerb and seriously wounding her father and sibling.

Jarrar was released on Sunday after a two-year sentence she received as part of a plea bargain with the Military Prosecution, which had convicted her of having ties to a known terrorist group. The court, however, found insufficient evidence to press more serious charges against her.

She had been held in administrative detention since October 2019. Her sentence included time served.

Joint Arab List member Aida Touma-Sliman garnered harsh criticism Sunday for posting a congratulatory message on Facebook that included a photo with her and Jarrar embracing.

Odeh, who posted photos of himself with Jarrar from her home on Facebook, wrote: "The occupation accused her more than once of being a member of an illegal organization, that's why she was imprisoned more than once. What manner of affront is this?! The occupation determines legality?!

I visited her, together with the dear Bassam Al-Salehi, the General-Secretary of the Palestinian People's Party, to console her over the death of her daughter, Suha, who died while she was in prison. The occupation refused to let her out for a few hours to attend her daughter's funeral."

In his Facebook post, Odeh also referred to the Hamas terrorists killed by IDF forces in Jenin on Sunday as "young men" and condemned Jewish visitation to the Temple Mount.

"The issue is not just the warrior Khalida, an not just the killing of the five young men in Jenin [on Sunday]; not just the unprecedented disgrace with the Israeli flags at the al-Aqsa mosque [Sunday] morning; not just the roadblocks and not just the siege of Gaza; but that they are all the result of the criminal occupation," Odeh added.

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Joint Arab List leader Ayman Odeh, speaking from just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, declared that Israel's capital would one day become the main city of "Palestine."

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"On these walls, the flag of Palestine will be hoisted and Jerusalem will be the capital of reconquered Palestine," he told the Kan public broadcaster amid heightened security tensions highlighted by a flag march in the city by Israel nationalists and cross-border arson attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

"Our people will shame them and they will withdraw from these places," he said, referring to the parade participants, who the Israel Police said numbered approximately 5,000.

Earlier in the day, Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas, whose faction makes up one of the eight parties in Israel's new coalition government, denounced the flag march as an "unrestrained provocation."

Odeh has been vocal in his opposition to the new coalition, declaring it a "bad government." He added that "ministers from the extremist right will hold many ministerial portfolios, such as Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) , Gideon Sa'ar (New Hope), Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Zeev Elkin (New Hope) and Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu)."

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He maintained that the new government would "harm the Arabs of Jerusalem and the Negev and will not represent any sort of ideal of Judeo-Arab cooperation due to the inclusion of Ra'am.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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"An MK taking part in an event in support of terrorism, with Israel's worst enemies, is insufferable and I am not willing to accept it," said Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin.

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Levin noted that the Knesset has disqualified MKs who cooperate with the enemy from running for election, but those decisions have been overturned repeatedly by the Supreme Court.

Levin's colleagues in the Likud party voiced similar sentiments.

MK Michal Shir reached out to Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and asked him to investigate Odeah, adding that at the event in question, Fatah and Hamas had announced "an intifada against the state of Israel."

"An MK participating in that conference, without clearly opposing violence, is like actual incitement to terrorism," Shir said.

MK Shlomo Karai (Likud) filed a complaint about Odeh's appearance at the conference with the Knesset Ethics Committee, characterizing it as "support for terrorism" and asking that the committee take severe disciplinary steps against Odeh.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman said, "Odeh took part in a virtual conference held by Fatah and Hamas about Netanyahu's virtual annexation. I hope that Odeh and his friends become 'virtual,' just like the conference."

The event in question was an online joint press conference at which senior Palestinian Authority official Jibril Rajoub attacked the Israeli plan, saying, "We will use all the necessary tools in order to reach national unity."

He added that "we and Hamas have had a cordial dialog and we have reached a point in which we want all factions to collaborate together to further our national goals." He vowed to "continue fighting as part of our struggle for a sovereign state."

Appearing via video feed from Beirut, Hamas deputy political leader Saleh Arouri focused on Israel, saying: "If they manage to implement the annexation plan in the West Bank this will whet their appetite for annexation of other areas; after annexing, Israel will have to deal with the Palestinian issue in the West Bank, and it has already used expulsion and uprooting before. Israel sees the West Bank as the Promised Land, and they are ready to carry out dangerous maneuvers there."

Rajoub also said that "for us, an intifada is a tool. The goal is to end the occupation and take annexation off the table."

Representatives of Odeh said that he had attended the conference in order to promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

"Keeping up the rifts serves only those who want to continue the occupation and establish apartheid," the message said. "Anyone who supports the two-state solution should also support reconciliation."

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The demonstrators intend to continue their protest until next week at least, when representatives of all the political parties in Israel are scheduled to hold meetings with President Reuven Rivlin prior to his deciding which MK he will appoint to form the next government.

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Meirav Hajaj, the mother of the late Lt. Shir Hajaj, who was murdered in a car-ramming attack at the Armon Hanatziv promenade in Jerusalem in 2017, was among the demonstrators.

Hajaj said, "We are crying out to the president, but mainly to the members of Blue and White. Anyone who considers themselves a Zionist party can't form a government that rests on support from the Joint Arab List."

"Three [former] chiefs of staff who were fully confident in giving our children orders are setting up a government with supporters of terrorism, who support the murder of soldiers. That makes no sense. To me, it seems absurd. I can't accept it. This makes something unacceptable palatable, and it mustn't be done under any circumstances."

Hajaj stressed she urged every Knesset member to read the Joint Arab List's party platform before agreeing to join them in a governing coalition: "They don't hide the fact that they don't want a Jewish state," she said.

"They won't relinquish terrorism and are encouraging the people who murder our children. It's not a party issue. We're speaking out of pain and fear for the existence of our country as a Jewish state. We met with Chili Tropper, who told us he understood how we felt and backed us up.

"We also met with Yoaz Hendel, who told us there would be no government that didn't fight terrorism," Hajaj continued.

"We are planning another round of meetings with the people from Blue and White to keep them from forming a government that depends on supporters of terrorism," she said.

Shimon Golovenchich, whose son David was killed on an operation in Hebron in 2017, said, "They should benefit from their crimes? There cannot be a government with people who stand behind our children's murderers … This is crossing a red line. It is unacceptable and inconceivable."

Golovenchich said, "We represent the voice of sanity in Israel. Everyone identifies with us."

Yehudit Dasberg, whose daughter and son-in-law were killed in a terrorist shooting near Kfar Menachem, also took part in one of the demonstrations outside the President's Residence, saying, "It's the most absurd thing, forming a government with people who define themselves as enemies of the state of Israel. It's a loss of all proportions. [Joint Arab List head] Ayman Odeh supporters murderers. [Blue and White] lost the plot if they join murderers of Jews. That can't happen. Joining forces with Ayman Odeh is treason against the state of Israel."

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The tension was alleviated by faction chairman, MK Ayman Odeh, who after arriving at the main headquarters in Shfaram with many of the candidates on the List's Knesset ticket, told reporters from the Arab media, who aren't subject to local laws banning campaign propaganda, that according to the figures in his possession, based largely on the televised exit polls, that the Joint Arab List had won at least 14 mandates.

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The final two hours before the closure of voting stations were used by Odeh and his colleagues to encourage and spur Arabs who still hadn't voted to come out and push the List toward 15 and even 16 mandates – the desired magic number.

Although Arab voters came out to vote in solid numbers, contrary to the picture painted by Joint Arab List representatives that this was "a fateful election," many in the Arab street took a more level-headed approach. According to some leaders in the Arab sector, the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu and the Right didn't incite against the Arab public and instead took aim specifically at the List's leaders, Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, contributed to the relative calm between the sides. Coming away with 14 mandates, or more, will be considered a tremendous achievement for the Joint Arab List, less than 13 will be viewed as a disappointment and even a failure.

And yet, judging by the reactions on the Arab street, it is increasingly clear that regardless of the final result, the past year,  with its three election campaigns, has illustrated just how hungry the Arab public is to integrate and be an inseparable part of Israeli society. Sadly, the Arab public's leadership isn't mature enough yet to give them what they want.

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Balad party Chairman Jamal Zahalka, meanwhile, said Saturday night that his anti-Zionist party would oppose recommending Gantz to President Reuven Rivlin, who is responsible for tasking the formation of the next government on the candidate he deems most suitable.

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The Joint List comprises four Israeli Arab parties – Hadash, Ta'al, Ra'am and Balad – and won 13 seats in the Knesset election last Tuesday, making it the third-largest party in the country.

Zahalka said his objection to Gantz was due to the Blue and White leader's right-wing views, his willingness to enter a unity government with the Likud party, and his reluctance to commit to annulling the nation-state law and the "Kaminitz Law" against illegal construction.

If the Joint Arab List recommends Gantz unanimously, it would put his center-left bloc at 57 seats compared to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 55, not counting Yisrael Beytenu's eight seats. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, however, has said he will not join a coalition with the Joint Arab List.

Leaders of the Joint Arab List are meeting with @PresidentRuvi at 6:30PM today to discuss their recommendation for Prime Minister.

It is expected that they will recommend @gantzbe.
Our @benitalevin has the story. pic.twitter.com/DLs1pgfB2S

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 22, 2019

Joint Arab List Chairman MK Ahmad Tibi said the leaders of the four parties comprising the Joint Arab List will meet on Sunday "for a decisive meeting" before sitting down with the president to discuss the faction's recommendation.

MK Ayman Odeh, who heads the faction, said the Joint Arab List's "historic decision" was still forthcoming and that "Netanyahu's rule cannot be ended without the Arab public."

According to speculation, the faction was still seeking certain commitments from Gantz before declaring its support for him.

No party drawn from the 21% Arab minority has ever been part of an Israeli government. But if Odeh, 44, becomes opposition leader instead of entering a coalition with Gantz, he would receive monthly briefings from the Mossad intelligence agency and meet visiting heads of state, among other perks.

"It is an interesting position, never before held by someone from the Arab population. It has a lot of influence," Odeh told reporters outside his home in Haifa.

But although the Joint List will be the single largest group, other opposition parties combined would have enough seats to block his appointment through an absolute majority vote, analysts said.

"There's no way the other parties will agree to have Ayman Odeh as head of the opposition, and grant our community recognition and legitimacy," said Aida Touma-Sliman, an Arab lawmaker from Odeh's Hadash party.

Parts of this article were originally published by i24NEWS

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On this trip to Or Akiva, joined by Israel Hayom, he said: "I feel the love from the public. People are really telling me – 'Stay, keep protecting us.'"

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During the ride, the prime minister learned that the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Hanan Meltzer, wants to summon Likud spokesman Jonatan Urich over submitting a false affidavit. Urich had stated that Netanyahu's speech on Tuesday evening about applying Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley wasn't a political event. Netanyahu, who was criticized for simply appearing in public this week, including his revelation of another secret Iranian nuclear site, said in response: "It reminds me of the Soviet Union."

In a special interview to Israel Hayom that will be published in full over the weekend, the prime minister discussed, among other topics, the ongoing skirmishes in Gaza. This week, during an election rally in Ashdod, as he was addressing the crowd, rockets were fired at southern Israel from Gaza. On the matter of a broad military campaign in Gaza, Netanyahu said, "It's no longer a matter of 'if' but 'when.'"

'Odeh has an alliance with Gantz'

On his declaration of intent to annex the Jordan Valley – and the cool response from the Americans, Netanyahu asserted that "What I said was done with the knowledge of the US administration. Their response to the announcement, whereby their position on the matter hasn't changed, shows that even if it's not exactly a green light it is more of a yellow light, and regardless isn't a red light. It's a fact that the declaration about applying sovereignty over a large area isn't arousing opposition among the Americans; case in point – they only issued a lukewarm statement that their view on the status of the territories has changed. Therefore, this entire matter of the Jordan Valley raises the question of who will lead the diplomatic steps after the election – me or Benny Gantz, who won't be able to withstand the pressures."

Netanyahu also intimated that Israel and the US could possibly clash over certain diplomatic issues, specifically the Trump administration's looming "deal of the century." The prime minister, however, believes that the Americans – namely after the ouster of US President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser of John Bolton – won't soften their stance toward Iran or ease economic sanctions (as reported on Wednesday), and noted that in recent days the US has, in fact, intensified sanctions on the Islamic republic.

On Wednesday morning, before departing for more election rallies, Netanyahu attended a Knesset hearing about the so-called "camera law," where he was confronted by Joint Arab List Chairman Ayman Odeh who shoved a cellphone in the prime minister's face as if to video record him.

"That was chutzpah, he [Odeh] thinks he'll be a minister in the next government. The incident reflects his sense of confidence. Odeh is in an alliance with [Blue and White leaders] Gantz and [Yair] Lapid, and in an indirect alliance with [Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor] Lieberman."

As for the Yisrael Beytenu leader, Netanyahu said: "Lieberman will topple me. Whoever doesn't want me as prime minister – should vote for him."

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Since the creation of the state, no Arab party has ever recommended a Jewish candidate for prime minister or sat in a ruling coalition. Yet, with neither Israel's right- or left-wing blocs able to secure a coalition following the previous election, Arab party mandates would represent a significant boost to the left should they break their longstanding tradition of remaining outside the government.

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Yet such an alliance remains unlikely. Blue and White No. 3 and former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said that "as long as the Arab parties do not accept Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Blue and White cannot sit with them in a government."

Odeh, for his part, poised four conditions for entering a Blue and White-led government.

"The first," said Odeh, "is the construction of a new Arab city and redoing the rules to allow for more Arab construction and stopping demolitions in Arab areas."

The second condition, he said, was "governmental focus on fighting crime in Arab areas, including an operation to gather all the illegal weapons in the Arab population. Third is in the welfare realm, including building a public hospital in an Arab city and raising stipends for the elderly."

The last condition was "direct negotiations with the Palestinian leaders to bring an end to the occupation and to establish a Palestinian state, alongside canceling the nation-state law."

"I want to lead Arab politics from a politics of protest to a politics of influence," said Odeh. "We are 20% of Israel's population and we are needed to bring equality, democracy and social justice to Israel."

The most problematic of these conditions for Blue and White would likely be the last. The nation-state law, passed by the Knesset in 2018, sets in law that Israel is "the national home of the Jewish people." Blue and White has talked about "correcting" the law to make sure it emphasizes equality for all of Israel's citizens, but they do not favor repealing it completely.

Gantz, who is also a former IDF chief of staff, stressed that his party's sights are not on negotiations with the Arab parties, saying, "We are calling for a unity government" and clarifying that such a coalition would include "anyone who is sane and Zionist."

Even if Blue and White found a way to accept the Joint List's conditions, polls currently indicate the left would still need the help of Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu party to secure a 61-MK majority needed to form a government.

Yet MK Oded Forer of Yisrael Beiteinu told JNS that "there is zero chance we would join a government which includes the Arab parties."

Forer's statement makes it extremely unlikely that the Joint Arab List would ever be invited into a Blue and White-led coalition.

Ironically, the greatest impact of Odeh's dramatic announcement could actually be a boost to the Likud party.

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin told JNS that a potential alliance between Blue and White and the Arab parties may ultimately bring more votes to the Likud party, boosting Netanyahu's chances of winning the election.

"Now it's official and the truth has come to light," said Levin. "Ayman Odeh's declaration proves what we have been saying all along: Gantz and [Blue and White co-leader Yair Lapid] are planning to form a government with the Arab parties."

Levin issued a warning to all voters: "A vote for Blue and White or a vote for Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu party is a vote for Ayman Odeh as education minister and Ahmed Tibi for public security minister."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Netanyahu's election-day message to his right-wing voter base became a defining moment of the 2015 election, drawing criticism and accusations of racism from across the globe. Netanyahu, who won the election, later apologized.

Joint Arab List Chairman Ayman Odeh said he plans to use Netanyahu's phrase, which has become an iconic and sometimes ironic part of the language in Israel, to whip up turnout amongst the Arab minority in the April 9 vote.

"Arabs are not going to forget Netanyahu's incitement," Odeh told Reuters. "Netanyahu benefited from the slogan the first time around. Now it is our turn to benefit."

Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office. If successful, he will become Israel's longest-serving prime minister.

The party will run the slogan in Arabic and Hebrew, said Odeh, whose faction holds currently holds 13 of the 120 Knesset seats.

Odeh said that the Joint Arab List MKs' main task will be to convince potential voters that their participation can effect real change.

So far polls show Netanyahu's Likud will be the largest party in parliament with around 30 seats. The Joint Arab List, a coalition of four Arab parties, could split, with each faction winning about six seats.

Odeh said a key campaign issue will be Israel's nation-state law. The bill's supporters said it was largely symbolic and Netanyahu said it was needed to fend of Palestinian challenges to Jewish self-determination.

"I can argue that if we had only voted in greater numbers, we would have been able to block the law," Odeh said. "They simply wouldn't be able to ignore us."

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