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| Arab Alliance Rises as Force in Israeli Elections | Arab Alliance Rises as Force in Israeli Elections |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| IBILLIN, Israel — Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s nationalist foreign minister, stared coolly at the Arab politician sitting at the opposite end of a glass table during a televised election debate. | |
| “Why did you come to this studio, why not to Gaza, or Ramallah? Why are you even here?” asked Mr. Lieberman, who frequently calls Israel’s Arab citizens traitors and suggests that their towns be transferred to Palestinian control. “You are not wanted here; you are a Palestinian citizen.” | “Why did you come to this studio, why not to Gaza, or Ramallah? Why are you even here?” asked Mr. Lieberman, who frequently calls Israel’s Arab citizens traitors and suggests that their towns be transferred to Palestinian control. “You are not wanted here; you are a Palestinian citizen.” |
| The politician, Ayman Odeh, the leader of an alliance of Arab parties formed to contest Israeli elections on Tuesday, appeared unruffled. | The politician, Ayman Odeh, the leader of an alliance of Arab parties formed to contest Israeli elections on Tuesday, appeared unruffled. |
| “I am very welcome in my homeland,” he said, a subtle dig at Mr. Lieberman, an immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Moldova. “I am part of the nature, the surroundings, the landscape,” he said in Arabic-accented Hebrew. | “I am very welcome in my homeland,” he said, a subtle dig at Mr. Lieberman, an immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Moldova. “I am part of the nature, the surroundings, the landscape,” he said in Arabic-accented Hebrew. |
| The clash in late February on Israel’s popular Channel 2, during the only debate of the election season, was a sideshow to the larger electoral struggle unfolding between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief challenger, Isaac Herzog. Neither Mr. Netanyahu nor Mr. Herzog appeared at the debate. But it was a breakthrough moment for Mr. Odeh, 40, a little-known lawyer from Haifa who has never served in Parliament yet is suddenly poised to be a power broker in the formation of Israel’s next government. | The clash in late February on Israel’s popular Channel 2, during the only debate of the election season, was a sideshow to the larger electoral struggle unfolding between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief challenger, Isaac Herzog. Neither Mr. Netanyahu nor Mr. Herzog appeared at the debate. But it was a breakthrough moment for Mr. Odeh, 40, a little-known lawyer from Haifa who has never served in Parliament yet is suddenly poised to be a power broker in the formation of Israel’s next government. |
| It was Mr. Lieberman himself who inadvertently helped set in motion a political awakening of Arabs in Israel this election year. Legislation he championed to raise the percentage of votes required to enter Parliament threatened the survival of four small Arab parties, so they decided to unite after years of refusing to do so. | It was Mr. Lieberman himself who inadvertently helped set in motion a political awakening of Arabs in Israel this election year. Legislation he championed to raise the percentage of votes required to enter Parliament threatened the survival of four small Arab parties, so they decided to unite after years of refusing to do so. |
| The move has energized many of Israel’s 1.7 million Arab citizens, whose participation rate in elections had been declining as the parties they supported drifted under fractured leadership and hostile right-wing governments. | The move has energized many of Israel’s 1.7 million Arab citizens, whose participation rate in elections had been declining as the parties they supported drifted under fractured leadership and hostile right-wing governments. |
| Now, polls cited by the Israeli media suggest the Arab alliance is likely to become the third-largest faction in Parliament with 13 of its 120 seats, potentially preventing Mr. Netanyahu from cobbling together the 61 seats he needs to form a coalition and stay in power. The same polls show that Mr. Lieberman may have more trouble getting his own Yisrael Beiteinu party across the 3.25 percent threshold he designed. | Now, polls cited by the Israeli media suggest the Arab alliance is likely to become the third-largest faction in Parliament with 13 of its 120 seats, potentially preventing Mr. Netanyahu from cobbling together the 61 seats he needs to form a coalition and stay in power. The same polls show that Mr. Lieberman may have more trouble getting his own Yisrael Beiteinu party across the 3.25 percent threshold he designed. |
| “The magic turned on the magician,” said Joseph Shakkour, a 25-year-old student and campaign worker for the Joint List, as the Arab alliance is known, using an Arab saying to describe someone getting a taste of his or her own medicine. | “The magic turned on the magician,” said Joseph Shakkour, a 25-year-old student and campaign worker for the Joint List, as the Arab alliance is known, using an Arab saying to describe someone getting a taste of his or her own medicine. |
| Unlike Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and most Arab residents of East Jerusalem, Palestinian citizens of Israel have full voting rights. But their turnout in elections has long been lower than that of Israel’s Jews — 56 percent against 68 percent in the 2013 election — and they tend also to be poorer, less educated, and more likely to be unemployed. | |
| Though the Joint List has promised to maintain the tradition of Arab parties’ refusing to join any governing coalition, Mr. Odeh has indicated he will support Mr. Herzog of the center-left Zionist Union if he manages to oust Mr. Netanyahu. | Though the Joint List has promised to maintain the tradition of Arab parties’ refusing to join any governing coalition, Mr. Odeh has indicated he will support Mr. Herzog of the center-left Zionist Union if he manages to oust Mr. Netanyahu. |
| “Uniting the Arab political forces is of historical importance,” said Mohammad Darawshe, a political analyst and leader of Givat Haviva, which advocates coexistence between Israel’s Arabs and Jews. “No minority has ever been able to make any strategic accomplishment without uniting first.” | “Uniting the Arab political forces is of historical importance,” said Mohammad Darawshe, a political analyst and leader of Givat Haviva, which advocates coexistence between Israel’s Arabs and Jews. “No minority has ever been able to make any strategic accomplishment without uniting first.” |
| Mr. Odeh has changed the tone of Arab politics with a vow to work with Jewish allies to achieve equality for his community. Arab citizens of Israel have long lagged Israeli Jews in education, employment in Civil Service jobs, access to transportation and land allocations. His position is a striking change from incumbent lawmakers like Haneen Zoabi, whose strident Palestinian nationalism has alienated mainstream political parties and ordinary Israelis. | Mr. Odeh has changed the tone of Arab politics with a vow to work with Jewish allies to achieve equality for his community. Arab citizens of Israel have long lagged Israeli Jews in education, employment in Civil Service jobs, access to transportation and land allocations. His position is a striking change from incumbent lawmakers like Haneen Zoabi, whose strident Palestinian nationalism has alienated mainstream political parties and ordinary Israelis. |
| On the campaign trail, Mr. Odeh invokes the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and quotes Palestinian poetry as he preaches coexistence with the Jewish majority. | On the campaign trail, Mr. Odeh invokes the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and quotes Palestinian poetry as he preaches coexistence with the Jewish majority. |
| “We want to throw our weight as a people into politics. We want to build institutions for our people,” Mr. Odeh told high school students on March 7 in Ibillin, an Arab town in the hills of the Galilee. | “We want to throw our weight as a people into politics. We want to build institutions for our people,” Mr. Odeh told high school students on March 7 in Ibillin, an Arab town in the hills of the Galilee. |
| “We need to extend bridges to the Jewish community,” he added. “Martin Luther King fought for blacks, and democratic whites were with him.” | “We need to extend bridges to the Jewish community,” he added. “Martin Luther King fought for blacks, and democratic whites were with him.” |
| Mr. Odeh runs his campaign mostly from his car, racing around as many as 10 towns and villages in a single day. He kisses men on both cheeks, Palestinian style, and, between events, washes down Israeli pastries with Turkish coffee. | Mr. Odeh runs his campaign mostly from his car, racing around as many as 10 towns and villages in a single day. He kisses men on both cheeks, Palestinian style, and, between events, washes down Israeli pastries with Turkish coffee. |
| On the streets of Ibillin and other Arab towns where Mr. Odeh campaigned recently, shopkeepers pulled him inside for handshakes, and a man called out from his car, “Ayman, you’re going to nail it.” | On the streets of Ibillin and other Arab towns where Mr. Odeh campaigned recently, shopkeepers pulled him inside for handshakes, and a man called out from his car, “Ayman, you’re going to nail it.” |
| Mohammed Yehya, a 28-year-old welder who lives in Iksal, an Arab town in northern Israel, counted family members who planned to vote for Mr. Odeh’s alliance on Tuesday: his mother, father, six brothers, three sisters, and their husbands. | Mohammed Yehya, a 28-year-old welder who lives in Iksal, an Arab town in northern Israel, counted family members who planned to vote for Mr. Odeh’s alliance on Tuesday: his mother, father, six brothers, three sisters, and their husbands. |
| “We never voted before, because we didn’t believe Arab Knesset members could achieve any goal while they stayed fragmented,” Mr. Yehya said, referring to Israel’s Parliament by its Hebrew name. “We want to have our influence in politics,” he said. “We want to be treated like Jews.” | “We never voted before, because we didn’t believe Arab Knesset members could achieve any goal while they stayed fragmented,” Mr. Yehya said, referring to Israel’s Parliament by its Hebrew name. “We want to have our influence in politics,” he said. “We want to be treated like Jews.” |
| The hopeful mood comes after thousands of Arabs in Israel demonstrated against Israel’s war last summer with Palestinian militants in Gaza. Further tensions came in the fall after Israeli police officers fatally shot a 22-year-old Arab man who appeared on video footage to be retreating from his car. | The hopeful mood comes after thousands of Arabs in Israel demonstrated against Israel’s war last summer with Palestinian militants in Gaza. Further tensions came in the fall after Israeli police officers fatally shot a 22-year-old Arab man who appeared on video footage to be retreating from his car. |
| The war in Gaza “was very painful and bloody,” said Amal Jamal, a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University. “But there’s a feeling that the Israeli reality is changing, and that the united Arab list can change the political map in Israel, and so from that, there’s optimism.” | The war in Gaza “was very painful and bloody,” said Amal Jamal, a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University. “But there’s a feeling that the Israeli reality is changing, and that the united Arab list can change the political map in Israel, and so from that, there’s optimism.” |
| Mr. Odeh himself reflects that optimism. He met his wife, Nardine Aseli, a gynecologist, during the wake for her 17-year-old brother, Aseel, who was killed in 2000 at the start of the second Palestinian intifada. | Mr. Odeh himself reflects that optimism. He met his wife, Nardine Aseli, a gynecologist, during the wake for her 17-year-old brother, Aseel, who was killed in 2000 at the start of the second Palestinian intifada. |
| Their second son shares Aseel’s birthday, and was named for him. “If I was a poet, I would say Aseel returned to life,” said Mr. Odeh, who frequently cites Mahmoud Darwish, considered the Palestinian national poet. | Their second son shares Aseel’s birthday, and was named for him. “If I was a poet, I would say Aseel returned to life,” said Mr. Odeh, who frequently cites Mahmoud Darwish, considered the Palestinian national poet. |
| Mr. Odeh became leader of the alliance after being elected to head the largest of its four parties, known as Hadash in Hebrew and Jabha in Arabic. His is also the only Arab party to include Jewish candidates for Parliament. | Mr. Odeh became leader of the alliance after being elected to head the largest of its four parties, known as Hadash in Hebrew and Jabha in Arabic. His is also the only Arab party to include Jewish candidates for Parliament. |
| While support for the alliance has been evident among Arabs, it has attracted few Israeli Jews, apart from a handful who support Hadash. | While support for the alliance has been evident among Arabs, it has attracted few Israeli Jews, apart from a handful who support Hadash. |
| Many Israelis were also upset after a campaign official from the alliance equated the Islamic State with the pre-state Zionist movement. | Many Israelis were also upset after a campaign official from the alliance equated the Islamic State with the pre-state Zionist movement. |
| And despite Mr. Odeh’s surprising rise, it remains unclear whether the alliance will stay together after the election. Its four parties include leftists, feminists, Islamists and Palestinian nationalists, with often very different agendas. | And despite Mr. Odeh’s surprising rise, it remains unclear whether the alliance will stay together after the election. Its four parties include leftists, feminists, Islamists and Palestinian nationalists, with often very different agendas. |
| Despite a groundswell of support for Mr. Odeh and his alliance among Arab voters, some remain undecided. | Despite a groundswell of support for Mr. Odeh and his alliance among Arab voters, some remain undecided. |
| Ibrahim Hebi, a barber, said he was not convinced that Mr. Odeh would be different from other Arab politicians. | Ibrahim Hebi, a barber, said he was not convinced that Mr. Odeh would be different from other Arab politicians. |
| “Those guys have done nothing to make our lives better,” Mr. Hebi, 35, said as he stood with his arms crossed near the tiny square in the Galilee town of Shaab where Mr. Odeh was speaking. “We have no space here,” he said, referring to the crammed streets of his town. | “Those guys have done nothing to make our lives better,” Mr. Hebi, 35, said as he stood with his arms crossed near the tiny square in the Galilee town of Shaab where Mr. Odeh was speaking. “We have no space here,” he said, referring to the crammed streets of his town. |
| Shaab, like many Arab areas in Israel, is crowded with boxy concrete homes on narrow streets, shops selling sequined wedding dresses, furniture and shawarma, and billboards blighting the view. The densely packed towns are in stark contrast to the leafy, well-planned Jewish communities that often sit nearby. | Shaab, like many Arab areas in Israel, is crowded with boxy concrete homes on narrow streets, shops selling sequined wedding dresses, furniture and shawarma, and billboards blighting the view. The densely packed towns are in stark contrast to the leafy, well-planned Jewish communities that often sit nearby. |
| He pointed at a black S.U.V. that belonged to another candidate appearing alongside Mr. Odeh as proof that Arab politicians were out of touch. | He pointed at a black S.U.V. that belonged to another candidate appearing alongside Mr. Odeh as proof that Arab politicians were out of touch. |
| “Nobody, including your father, could afford that car,” Mr. Hebi said bitterly. Gesturing with his thumb toward the podium where Mr. Odeh stood, he added, “I don’t even know what that guy drives.” | “Nobody, including your father, could afford that car,” Mr. Hebi said bitterly. Gesturing with his thumb toward the podium where Mr. Odeh stood, he added, “I don’t even know what that guy drives.” |
| For the record: a dusty Hyundai. | For the record: a dusty Hyundai. |