Joint List Head Accuses Right-Wing of Seeking Parliament for Jews Only

Professor Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, stated that recent decisions to disqualify candidates represent a "targeted assassination" of Arab voters' right to participate in elections and choose their representatives. He characterized the move as an attempt by the right-wing to establish a parliament exclusively for Jews by excluding the political representation of Arab citizens and democratic Jewish forces.

Jabareen asserted in a speech to the Elections Committee that the ruling party aims to prevent over two million Arab citizens from having their parties represented and seeks to disenfranchise 1.25 million Arab voters. He argued that the government wishes to decide who represents Arab voters and to reserve parliament solely for the majority.

He refuted claims that Arab representatives are disconnected from their constituents, calling them "lies and fabrications." Jabareen pointed out that a majority of Arab voters, along with democratic Jewish forces, support these parties, and targeting them directly undermines the will of their voters and their right to political representation. He stressed that such actions should not be supported or legitimized.

Addressing attempts to question the Joint List's platform, Jabareen emphasized that its program is public, clear, and consistent with its representatives' stated positions, refuting the justification for a "incitement campaign." He concluded by reiterating the Joint List's platform: establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel on the 1967 borders, dismantling settlements, and striving for full equality and social justice for all citizens.