Two Israeli Arabs make Meretz top 10 in the Israeli primaries.
To the next pro-Palestinian who accuses Israel of racism, when was the last time that Jews were allowed to be elected to government in any Arabic country? Or, for that matter, homosexuals? Or – in the case of most of those countries – when was the last time anyone was allowed to vote in a democratic election at all? (And no, Saddam Hussein’s kind of “vote” doesn’t qualify.)
Those who would accuse Israel of being undemocratic ought to look in the mirror.
I think this story proves beyond a shadow
of a doubt that Israel is not “racist”
“apartheid” state the many arabs claim it to be.
I just hope that if these two Arab Meretz
part members make it to the knesset, they
don’t spend all their time making inciteful
remarks about their own country, Israel, like
some of the current Arab MKs make.
Just an FYI–
Segacs, I agree whole-heartedly with your point. But I think in Iran there is actually 1 Jewish member of parliment (or so I’ve heard). I didn’t mean to “raid on your parade”
(but I still agree with your point).
And you forgot to mention, that there are Arab Parties that run too
Mouris Motamed is the sole Jewish member of Parliament. His seat is a “reserved” seat for the Jewish community. Lest we forget that Iran is a brutal dictotheocracy.
Besides, Iran isn’t an Arab country.
You are correct, Mouris Motamed, is the sole Jewish member of the Iranian Parliament. There used to be quite a large jewish population in Iran, as high as 100,000 before the 1979 revolution. Today the estimate is about 30,000. I suppose you could think that 70,000 or so jews just emigrated suddenly…
Morocco also has Jewish members of parliament; there was, at least at one point, a Jewish minister.
Of course, that doesn’t change anything about Israel – there are _13_ Arabs in the current Knesset, and there will probably be 14 or 15 in the next (the latest poll has the Arab parties winning 11 seats, and Meretz and Avoda each have two Arabs in realistic positions on their party lists). That isn’t _quite_ in proportion to the Arab population of Israel, but it’s close.
Peter – the Arabs who run on the Meretz and Avoda lists _are_ different from Azmi Bishara or Ahmed Tibi – they’re much more mainstream in their views. One of them, Saleh Tarif, has been a minister in the Israeli cabinet, and he was appointed by… Ariel Sharon.
Go Azmi!