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Articles by Afif Abu Much
In shadow of Gaza, Christmas is canceled in Israel this year
December 24, 2023 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYEH, Israel — Christmas will be a somber, muted affair this year in the birthplace of Christianity, as Christian Palestinians cancel holiday celebrations in Nazareth, Jerusalem, the West Bank and Jordan in solidarity with and mourning for the residents of Gaza. The lights on the hallmark Christmas trees near the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and at Bethlehem’s Manger Square are dark for the first time in decades.
After battling Hamas, Druze leaders ask Israel for more than special status law
November 26, 2023 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYEH, Israel — After at least six Druze soldiers were killed in the surprise Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, leaders from the Arabic-speaking minority told Al-Monitor that they reject the government’s intention to legislate a law offering special status to their community, demanding instead that the coalition amend the so-called Nation-State Law, which discriminates against them.
Arab Israelis express solidarity with victims of Hamas attack
October 16, 2023 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYE, Israel — Israel’s 21% Arab minority is demonstrating solidarity with victims of Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel. This is despite attempts by some in the right-wing government and media to question their loyalty and incite anger against them.
With 71% spike, crime in Arab Israeli towns threatens local elections
October 1, 2023 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYEH, Israel — The nationwide municipal elections scheduled for Oct. 31 have generated unprecedented threats and danger to Arab Israeli politicians, as organized crime families seek to gain a foothold in local politics and its lucrative jobs and contracts.
Gun violence soaring in Israel's Arab community, as government cuts funding
March 23, 2023 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYEH, Israel — The Israeli police force has published data on its campaign against violence in the Arab sector since January, revealing that it has seized, among other weapons, 351 illegally owned pistols during that period alone.
Palestinian artists win prestigious Israeli art prize for first time
February 14, 2023 The Rappaport Prize committee announced last Wednesday that Arab Israeli artists Hannan Abu-Hussein and Maria Saleh Mahameed were the laureates of the 2023 award, the first time Palestinians have won the prestigious honor. The annual prizes are awarded by the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Foundation to one established Israeli artist and one promising Israeli artist, in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
Israeli tech sector has big problem with Netanyahu’s judicial reform
January 31, 2023 Israeli high-tech employees demonstrated on Tuesday against the Netanyahu government's planned judicial overhaul, in different locations across the country. A demonstration will also take place on Tuesday in Silicone Valley, in California organized by Israeli high-tech individuals and entities in the area.
Arab legislator may cooperate with Netanyahu’s government
January 10, 2023 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYE, Israel — Ra’am party head Mansour Abbas attacked the leaders of rival Arab party Hadash-Ta'al, claiming they only seek to offer a "good show" from the Knesset podium. Abbas argued that Hadash-Ta'al leader Ayman Odeh and lawmaker Ahmad Tibi were responsible for the collapse of the former government, thus enabling returned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to win the Nov. 1 elections.
Israel's Jews flock to Arab towns for Christmas
December 21, 2022 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYEH, Israel — Until a few years ago, Jewish Israelis who wanted to get into the Christmas spirit had to travel to towns with a large Christian population like Haifa and Nazareth. The situation is remarkably different today, with an increasing number of Arab towns and villages are organizing Christmas markets, with invitations to Israelis getting printed in Hebrew, to attract the Jewish population.
On US visit, Arab Israeli leader warns against Netanyahu’s new government
December 12, 2022 Chairman of Hadash-Ta'al Ayman Odeh met Dec. 9 with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York. Apparently, the meeting was not coordinated with Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan nor with the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, as customary with visits abroad of Knesset members. According to Israeli press, the meeting was coordinated with the Palestinian Authority, and with the approval of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israelis outraged over Netflix film showing IDF murdering Palestinians
December 5, 2022 The Jordanian film "Farha," by director Darin J. Sallam, was made available Dec. 1 on Netflix, and has already caused an uproar in Israel for a scene in which Israeli soldiers are depicted murdering a Palestinian family during the 1948 war. The scene has led to a social media protest in which many Israelis have called for a boycott of the streaming giant and attacked its decision to broadcast the film on its platform.
Israeli soccer fans find cold welcome in Qatar
November 30, 2022 Thousands of Israeli soccer fans went to Qatar for the World Cup. But with the competition in its second week, their enthusiasm is increasingly replaced with disappointment. Many of the fans as well as the Israeli journalists sent to Doha to cover the games report that they feel unwelcome. The fervor in the Arab world is undeniable, with four Arab teams qualifying for the games, held for the first time in an Arab country.
Thousands of Israeli fans flock to World Cup in Qatar
November 23, 2022 Thousands of Israeli soccer fans have traveled in recent days to Qatar for the World Cup. The Israeli national team has never qualified for the Cup, but that hasn’t stopped Israeli soccer lovers from attending these events. Traditionally, Israelis root for the Argentinian, Brazilian, Dutch or British teams, but the Israeli commentators could not hold back their enthusiasm over the Saudi victory against Argentina and Lionel Messi.
Left out of Knesset, Arab Israeli party fights for survival
November 16, 2022 For the fifth time in four years, Israelis watched yesterday as a new Knesset was sworn in. Conspicuously absent were the representatives of the Arab Balad party, which did not make it pass the Knesset-entry threshold at the Nov. 1 elections. For the first time since Azmi Bishara founded the party in the 1990s, Balad has no representatives in the Israeli parliament.
UAE think tank explores fallout of Israeli elections
November 11, 2022 Abu Dhabi - The Emirates’ Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi hosted a symposium this week on the results of the recent Israeli elections and the implications for the region. The symposium took place in the presence of the first Emirati ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, and the Israeli ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Amir Hayek.
Arab Israeli parties trade blame for election fiasco
November 7, 2022 BAQA AL-GHARBIYYE, Israel — One week after the general elections, Israeli Arab politicians are still trying to recover from the results. Both Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al succeeded getting into the parliament, but Balad failed to pass the Knesset-entry threshold. The Arab electorate, some 21% of Israel’s population, now have only 10 Knesset members representing them. These future 10 Knesset members now represent some 21% of Israel’s Arab population.
Arab groups cooperate to raise turnout in Israeli election
October 28, 2022 With only five days only left before election day in Israel, expectations of low voter turnout in the Arab sector worry many. The majority of public opinion surveys predict that voting rate within the Israeli Arab public will reach only between 40 and 50 percent only. However, this month a coalition of civil groups launched a joint project to encourage voting in order to improve the situation of the Arab community.
Arab Israelis boycott Zara over ties with Jewish ultranationalist
October 24, 2022 It was reported last week that the franchise holder of the Zara apparel chain in Israel, Joey Schwebel, hosted an election event in his home for ultranationalist Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir. The news quickly caused political uproar, with several Israeli Arab politicians expressing their outrage.
Israeli candidates treat violence in Arab towns as niche problem
October 20, 2022 Walid Shahab, 14, was pronounced dead Oct. 18 after being shot Oct. 14 outside a pizzeria in the village of Jisr az-Zarqa in the north of Israel. It was the second murder in that village in a week. Jalal Amash, 17, was gunned down in the village Oct. 10.
Weakened by split, Israel's Arab parties must work the field
September 28, 2022 Israel's Arab Balad party launched its election campaign Sept. 24 with a gathering of supporters and activists in the town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye that claimed over 1,000 attendees. The same day, the Hadash-Ta’al alliance held a gathering of its own in the town of Tamra in the north, with several hundred activists and supporters in attendance.
Israel's Arab voters unimpressed with Lapid’s UN speech on two-state solution
September 28, 2022 The Sept. 22 speech of Prime Minister Yair Lapid to the UN General Assembly made headlines mostly because of the support he expressed vis-a-vis the two-state solution in the conflict with the Palestinians. The speech was targeting Israeli voters in general, ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, and Israeli Arab voters in particular. Relating to the diversity of Israel’s population, Lapid said, “In the government which I lead, there are Arab ministers.
Split endangers Arab Knesset representation
September 20, 2022 The Sept. 15 deadline for submitting party lists for the Nov. 1 Israeli elections was a day of high drama. The Joint List split at the last minute. Ahead of the last elections, the alliance lost one of its four partners when Ra’am under Mansour Abbas decided to run on its own ticket. This time, Balad decided to run alone. Now only Hadash and Ta’al will run together under the name of the Joint List. The trigger for the Sept.
Arab-Israelis deplore growing violence, political indifference
September 16, 2022 Growing violence within the Israeli Arab society has featured in several election campaigns in the past. A recent report by the Abraham Initiatives stated that 78 Israeli Arabs have lost their lives to date in 2022, in circumstances tied to violence and crime. Still, ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, Israeli Arab politicians were focused this week on another issue — that of their future Knesset lists. Drama transpired Sept.
Courting Arab voters, Netanyahu creates TikTok, Instagram accounts in Arabic
September 12, 2022 Head of the opposition Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sept. 8 that he had created new Arabic-language accounts on Twitter and Instagram, in addition to the popular TikTok and Facebook Arabic-language accounts that he created on the eve of the 2021 election, which target the Arab citizens of Israel.
Polls predict new lows in Arab-Israeli voter turnout
September 8, 2022 With just one week left before the final deadline Sept. 15 to submit lists of candidates for Israel’s November election, many polls show general apathy among the Arab population toward anything to do with the election. Pollsters now anticipate unprecedented new lows in election participation and voting in the Arab sector.
New program in Israel promotes teaching Arabic in Jewish schools
August 29, 2022 The Jerusalem municipality prepares to launch next week, as the school year begins, a new curriculum called "Ahalan" to teach schoolchildren in Jewish schools in the city spoken Arabic. The curriculum, put together by the municipality's education administration, came into being in order to shed a positive light, create a connection to the Arabic language and thus connect East to West Jerusalem by giving children the tools to communicate.
Israeli Arabs make it into the top 10 Meretz Party Knesset list
August 24, 2022 Left-wing Meretz had always showcased itself as a party representing both Jews and Arabs. Still, many in the party feared recently that the party’s new Knesset faction after the Nov. 1 general elections won’t include any Arab legislator. Results of the party’s Aug. 23 primary proved them wrong. Israeli Druze lawmaker Ali Salalha was elected for the fourth (realistic) spot on the list.
Arab Israeli coalition could split again as election approaches
August 23, 2022 The chair of the Balad faction, Knesset member Sami Abu Shehadeh, posted a video on his Facebook page Aug. 20, saying that the time had come to reconsider the faction’s membership in the Arab Joint List, which was composed of four factions until the last elections — Balad, Ra’am, Hadash and Ta’al. Then, Ra’am decided to run independently.
Arab representation vanishes from Israeli parties
July 11, 2022 With the Knesset dissolved and another election underway, Minister of Regional Cooperation Issawi Freij of Meretz announced July 5 that he will not be running in the next election.
Israeli Arab Muslim party aspires to be part of the next new coalition
July 4, 2022 The June 30 decision by the Knesset to dissolve itself forces all parties anew to take sides ahead of the Nov. 1 elections. This is particularly true for the Arab Muslim Ra’am party, which is currently part of the coalition. As a reminder, two years ago when then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was with his back against the wall, he started establishing ties with Ra’am and its leader, Mansour Abbas.
Just before Knesset disperses, Israeli opposition blocks bipartisan bills
June 29, 2022 Sometime this evening, the Knesset will vote to dissolve itself and hold a new election. As a result, the coalition and its member parties have launched a blitz of legislation, hoping to pass as much of it as possible in the little time the government has left. There are, however, several laws the opposition parties are refusing to discuss.
Arab political party unprepared for new elections in Israel
June 27, 2022 Members of the Arab Joint List have been quiet on social media over the past few days. Party senior Ahmad Tibi posted his last tweet June 20, the day Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced their intention to disperse the Knesset.
Israel's Arab Ra’am party rocked by decision to disperse Knesset
June 21, 2022 In the past few days, head of the Muslim Ra’am party Mansour Abbas was trying to find a solution over rebel legislator Mazen Ghnaim who was no longer voting with the coalition. Abbas continued his attempts just until the very last moment, when Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternative Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced that they decided to disperse the current Knesset and call a new election.
Israel Ra'am leader tries to keep party together as coalition collapses
June 20, 2022 “We will not give up until the very last moment. We will try until then to prevent the Knesset from being dissolved. I think that we can find a solution, which will enable us to continue functioning,” said Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, in a June 19 interview with the Walla news site. Evidently, Abbas was trying to relay a sense of optimism and to convince his listeners that the coalition could get through the endless series of crises it has faced over the last few weeks.
Israel’s Muslim party split on toeing coalition line
June 10, 2022 The past few days were difficult, and not just for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with Yamina legislators rebelling against him, but also for Mansour Abbas, head of the Muslim Ra’am party. He too had to cope with a legislator refusing to toe the line with the policies of the government. To a large extent, the difficulties of Bennett and Abbas are intertwined and feed on each other.
Palestinian flag raises controversy in Israeli universities
June 6, 2022 The Knesset approved on June 1 the initial reading of a bill by Knesset member Eli Cohen of the Likud that would ban organizations and institutions budgeted for or supported by the state from flying the Palestinian flag. Included among those bodies are all of the country’s public universities. Although the bill was first proposed by the opposition, it passed with 63 votes in favor and only 16 votes opposed.
Israeli lawmaker retracts decision to quit coalition
May 23, 2022 Knesset member Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi of the Meretz Party said yesterday she will support the government despite her May 19 announcement that she was quitting the coalition. Thus the Bennett-Lapid government has survived another coalition crisis.
Knesset member retracts decision to quit coalition
May 23, 2022 Knesset member Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi of the Meretz Party said yesterday she will support the government despite her May 19 announcement that she was quitting the coalition. Thus the Bennett-Lapid government has survived another coalition crisis.
Killing of Palestnian journalist won’t push Arab party to quit Israeli coalition
May 19, 2022 It has been a week since the May 11 shooting of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, but her name still tops the headlines in Israel, particularly among the Arab society. Just yesterday, a fight broke out in the Knesset, when Arab Joint List’s Knesset member Ahmad Tibi chose to attack Knesset member Meirav Ben-Ari of Yesh Atid, calling her “human scum,” for refusing to express any regrets over the death of Abu Akleh in a TV interview a few days earlier.
Killing of Palestinian journalist won’t push Arab party to quit Israeli coalition
May 19, 2022 It has been a week since the May 11 shooting of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, but her name still tops the headlines in Israel, particularly among the Arab society. Just yesterday, a fight broke out in the Knesset, when Arab Joint List’s Knesset member Ahmad Tibi chose to attack Knesset member Meirav Ben-Ari of Yesh Atid, calling her “human scum,” for refusing to express any regrets over the death of Abu Akleh in a TV interview a few days earlier.
Shireen Abu Akleh: Israeli Arabs mourn loss of a hero
May 16, 2022 The funeral of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh May 13 turned into a violent confrontation between Israeli security forces and the mourners who came to accompany her coffin on its final journey, from the French Hospital in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Images of Israeli police clashing with the participants in the funeral procession reached almost every home globally.
Israeli-Arab Parties divided over Raam's return to coalition
May 12, 2022 The Muslim Ra’am party announced May 11 it intends to stay in the coalition. The dramatic announcement came after a nerve-wracking day, where all eyes in Israeli politics were focused on the decision of the Shura Council that spiritually guides Ra’am. Addressing the press, Ra’am Chairman Mansour Abbas said, “We reached understandings for the betterment of Arab society and Israelis in general.
Arab-Israelis call for calm at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a briefing for foreign correspondents April 24, a week before the end of the month of Ramadan, to announce, “Israel is committed to the status quo on the Temple Mount. Muslims pray on the Temple Mount; non-Muslims only visit.
Temple Mount violence puts Arab coalition party on the spot
On April 19, Israel’s political leadership decided to shut down Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount Compound to Jewish visitors and tourists until the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The decision came in response to recent tensions in Jerusalem in general and Al-Aqsa Mosque in particular. Sources in the police and government pointed out that there is nothing new about the decision and that the compound has been closed to Jewish visitors every year toward the end of Ramadan.
Arab-Israeli politicians consider joining efforts to topple current government
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked attacked this morning head of the Arab Joint List opposition party Ayman Odeh. “Ayman Odeh incites against the State of Israel and its institutions. We won’t make agreements with him. His place is outside Israel’s Knesset,” tweeted Shaked. The minister was reacting to a video posted on Facebook yesterday by Odeh from the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, for the month of Ramadan.
Israel's tech future lies with Arab entrepreneurs
The Takwin VC Fund announced March 30 that it was going to raise $80 million to invest in startups founded by Israeli Arab entrepreneurs. It has already raised tens of millions of dollars for this venture. This is the second time that Takwin is embarking on such a mission. Investors include such well-known figures as the chairman of JVP, former Knesset member Erel Margalit, and Chemi Peres, son of the late President Shimon Peres, who is a founding partner in the venture capital fund Pitango.
Arabs across Israel condemn Islamic State-inspired attacks
Two of Israel's border police officers, Yazan Falah and Shirel Aboukaret, where killed March 27 in a shooting in downtown Hadera. The incident was Israel's second terrorist attack in a week, after four Israelis were killed March 22 in a combined vehicular and knife attack in the southern city of Beersheba. In both cases, the assailants were Arab citizens of Israel and inspired by the Islamic State. The two shooters in Hadera were residents of the town of Umm al-Fahm.
Israel approves five-year development plan for Bedouin villages
After weeks of political arguments between right-wing parties in the coalition and the Muslim Ra’am party, the Israeli government passed March 14 the five-year plan for the social and economic development of the Bedouin community for 2022-2026 at the inclusive cost of 5.2 billion Israeli shekels ($1.61 billion) for the entire period.
Citizenship law deepens rift between Israel's Arab parties
Just before leaving for spring recess on March 10, the Knesset approved Israel's controversial citizenship law with 45 for and 15 against. After almost nine months of debate, the new legislation effectively denies West Bank and Gaza Palestinians married to Israeli citizens from gaining citizenship or residency status.
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