Joint List Launches Hebrew Campaign, Appeals to Democratic Jews

The Joint List launched its campaign in Hebrew on Monday, October 5, a week after the disqualification of Sami Abu Shahadeh and the approval of the list itself. Abu Shahadeh, who withdrew his candidacy for the Knesset but remains head of the Balad party and a leading figure in the Joint List, was a central focus of the event. Several candidates linked his disqualification to a broader struggle for democracy.

"The disqualification is political persecution against the entire Arab public and the entire democratic Jewish public," stated Professor Yosef Jabareen, Chairman of the Joint List. Other speakers also addressed Abu Shahadeh's disqualification, connecting it to the fight for democracy. Maha Karakeb Sabah drew a parallel between violence against Palestinians and the disqualification, describing it as an ideology of ethnic cleansing. She argued that this ethnic cleansing extends to Arab citizens of Israel and even to the Knesset, where all minority parties, representing 20% of Israeli citizens, were disqualified in one day. Sabah suggested that the "precedent for disqualification began with the "regime revolution" and the dramatic changes in the Supreme Court.

Member of Knesset Ahmad Tibi outlined the list's core messages: "We stand on two legs. One leg is social justice and personal security, and the second leg is opposition to the occupation and the ongoing war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank." However, the economic and social platform was not detailed during the event. Tibi also stated that the list aims to appeal to the democratic Jewish public, positioning the Joint List as the address for "all democratic Jews who want a party that opposes the war and is for social justice." MK Dr. Ofer Cassif added a call for "leftists, come home, to the Joint List."

Tibi also discussed the list's future Knesset actions, indicating a departure from past approaches. "We will do things we haven't done before," he said, adding that "one of the first things is to oust the current Knesset Speaker." Regarding recommendations for prime minister and potential support for the "change bloc," Jabareen reiterated that the list's primary commitment is "to our public and the democratic Jewish public." Abu Shahadeh humorously remarked that they "will consider recommending anyone who did not support the disqualification." He also emphasized the significance of Jewish votes for the Joint List, viewing them as a "voice of hope that the struggle for democracy has Jewish partners" and that their "historical role is to show that there is another possibility, of peace, of justice, that there is light at the end of the tunnel."