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Does Increased Support for Arab Knesset List Reflect a Wish to Integrate into Israeli Society?
(Al-Monitor) Danny Zaken - The Arab Joint List won 15 seats in the March 2 Israeli Knesset elections, up from 13 in September and 10 in April 2019. In February, the Hebrew University released a study that predicted a sharp rise in the number of voters among Israel's Arab citizens. The study's chief researcher, Rana Abbas, said: "The study uncovered a change in attitude within Arab society over whether to participate in Israeli elections. An analysis of the data shows that among Arab society in general, and especially among the younger generation, there is a growing readiness to participate. The purpose of voting as they see it is to have some kind of influence on issues that are important to young people: violence and civil security in Arab society; housing;...the education system; the cost of living, poverty and unemployment." "According to this study, the Palestinian issue...ranks eighth, i.e., last, in the list of urgent issues. This seems to be sending a clear signal to the members of the Joint List: Deal with our issues, not the problems of the Palestinian Authority." Umaya Abu Ras, a chemistry teacher, and Nidaa Haj-Yihya, an attorney, are from the town of Taibeh, and both are socially active in the struggle over the status of women in Arab society. They both say that integration into Jewish society is important and that it begins with the economy. Leaving Arab towns and villages to work in Israeli society at large means earning a higher income and achieving greater economic and political power. "It empowers them and leads to political participation and integration with Israeli society at large," says Haj-Yihya.