Joint List Launches Hebrew Election Campaign, Appeals to Left-Wing Voters

With 22 days remaining until the elections, the Joint List party launched its election campaign in Hebrew on Monday evening in a small venue in Tel Aviv. The campaign launch occurred against the backdrop of the withdrawal of Balad faction chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh, after the Central Elections Committee disqualified him and the matter reached the Supreme Court. The party, formerly led by three factions, is now headed by Yosef Jabareen and Ahmad Tibi.

Party Chairman Prof. Jabareen opened the event by criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, "It's either the right or Benjamin, or peace between Israel and Palestine. It's either the right and another term of the blood government, or a large and strong Joint List that will care for all citizens of the country, Jews and Arabs. We call on the entire public, Arabs and Jews: Come to us. Let's build together a house of honor, a house of equality, a house of hope."

Following Jabareen, MK Ahmad Tibi addressed the audience, directing criticism at Yair Golan. Tibi noted that representatives of the Labor party voted in favor of Abu Shahadeh's disqualification at the Central Elections Committee. "The Joint List is the home for all liberal and democratic people, Jews and Arabs, who do everything to oppose the war, and most importantly, who do not join Ben-Gvir to disqualify an Arab leader. This was more than a serious mistake. There is a value collapse here... We will achieve ten mandates and send this wicked government home," Tibi declared.

MK Ofer Cassif also spoke about the disqualification of party members, referencing his own initial disqualification by the committee, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court. "The persecution of the Palestinian Arab minority and of the Jewish democratic forces, of anyone who raises a different voice, is policy. The only one offering a real alternative to this criminal policy is the Joint List. Only the Joint List stands against this murky wave of fascism and racism. I call from here to the public: Leftists, go home! Leftists, return home, to the Joint List," Cassif urged.

Although Abu Shahadeh withdrew his candidacy on the advice of the Supreme Court justices, he remains the head of the Balad movement from outside the Knesset and attended the event. He delivered messages of peace and reconciliation, stating, "There is another possibility, a possibility to live in peace, a possibility to live without supremacy. This possibility is the Joint List. It is possible to build a state based on justice and equality for both peoples."