In contrast to the Palestinian Authority (PA) which last held elections in January 2006, and yet again cancelled elections scheduled for 22 May 2021, Israel’s vibrant democracy has produced the broadest coalition of eight political parties in its history.
What is particularly noticeable about Israel’s new government is that it excludes all Jewish religious parties, and includes a Palestinian Arab party, Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas. While Ra’am recognises Israel and aims for a two-state solution to the intractable Palestinian/Israeli conflict, it adheres to the Islamic movement, which advocates for Islam in Israel and Sharia law.
Having an Islamist party inside government deals a decisive blow to those denigrators of Israel who accuse it of “ethnic cleansing” and “Judaisation”. While Israel is inclusive of Islam and religious freedom and even accepts a party which propagates Islam, the PA denies the right of even one Jew to live in any future Palestinian state.
Ra’am will serve the interests of Arab society, in particular helping to address the housing shortage of the rapidly growing Palestinian and Bedouin populations, where three new towns and cities will be recognised in the Negev region in southern Israel. Budgets for development aid and improvements to infrastructure to Arabs exceed R265 billion, which is about 20% of South Africa’s total budget. In addition, more than 12 billion has been pledged to fight organised crime and violence in Arab society.
Israeli Arabs play an active role in Israeli society, and are well represented as high court judges, medical doctors, scientists, diplomats, and even as officers in the border police and military. Arabs comprise at least 20% of the student complement at the best Israeli universities, and their education levels are higher than any other Arab country.
Israel is truly a model for intercommunal relations between diverse religious and ethnic groups. I wish the new government “long live” and great success!
