Should Arab Israelis boycott the election?
A recent poll by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Abraham Initiatives found that only around 51% of Arab citizens of Israel are expected to vote in Israel's elections on Tuesday. This is partially because of a call by some Arab leaders to boycott the April 9 elections.
Two Palestinian thought-leaders – analyst Nijmeh Ali and Palestine Policy Fellow Yara Hawari of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network – recently participated in a roundtable debate on the subject, which was published by the group on Sunday.
Ali argued that Arabs should participate in the elections to “ensure that suitable political ground is created."
The analyst, who grew up in Haifa and is currently working on her doctorate at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at New Zealand's Otago University, said that: “Participating in the elections allows Palestinians to organize themselves internally, conduct political debates, and lobby for their civic and national rights in Israel and beyond.”
In contrast, she argued, boycotting the elections could result in the dwindling of the Arab parties, which would lead to a leadership vacuum.
“Parties still operate as the main organizing mechanism for political, social, civil and national issues,” Ali said, explaining that this transforms the elections from simply an electoral battle to one over Palestinian representation more broadly.
She said that historically, Palestinian citizens of Israel have been willing to participate in the political process, even in moments of tension and alienation. She pointed out that from 1949 to 1973, average voter turnout among Arab Israelis was 86%. Reports by the Israel Democracy Institute showed that Arab Israelis voting dropped steadily, at one point reaching a low of only 18%. Ali believes that those numbers should improve again.
“What really threatens Israel is a Palestinian who is a producer at all levels,” she said, “who is economically independent and pays the bills every month without relying on Israeli national insurance. This is the model that can break the hierarchical relationship between master and slave, and rearrange the boundaries of the political game.
“The greater the strength and influence of the Palestinians in Israel – through their presence as consumers, taxpayers and a core component of the labor force – the greater the impact of their protests in the future [and the more racism they will be targeted with],” she continued. “Thus, change that can bolster the Palestinian citizens of Israel should involve establishing an internal financial support system related to a strategic plan of protest. Maintaining political parties and engagement in the political system, such as voting, should also be a priority, at least in the short to medium term.”
In contrast, Hawari had a very different perspective. Far from being a sign of apathy, she said that “election boycotts are a political tool used to convey an electorate's dissatisfaction and disaffection.”
She said that history shows that regardless of electoral participation, the Palestinian citizens of Israel have not made any significant gains within the Israeli political system.
“Boycotting the Knesset elections does not, on its own, qualify as a strategy,” said Hawari, who completed her doctorate at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. “Rather, it must be a tactic that is part of an overall vision for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Those wanting to help create a new Palestinian political strategy must harness the momentum gained from the boycott campaign to develop alternative political spaces outside of Israeli institutional politics.”
Hawari said that Israeli-Arabs' intimate experience with Israel places them in a position to take a leading role in discussions about new political models “paving the way for Palestinians across all geographies to unite and demand the fulfillment of their quest for self-determination and human rights.”
The survey also found that 31% of Arabs have decided not to vote and 9.4% are still undecided.
Specifically, younger voters will not turn out on Election Day. The survey found that just under half of those ages 35 to 44 – 49.5% – and 70% of those aged 65 and older are likely to vote.
“Arab society not voting spells a double disaster – both reducing the representation of advocates for equality, and strengthening the presence of racists in the next Knesset,” said Amnon Be'eri Sulizeanu and Dr. Thabet Abu Rass, co-CEOs of the Abraham Initiatives. The survey was taken by the Yaffa Institute for Public Research, April 1-3. It included a sample size of 511 Arab adults and has a margin of error of +/-4.5%.