Commentator Slams Political Elite for Suppressing Mizrahi Community

Commentator and journalist Dr. Avichai Ben-Dror has launched an unprecedented, sharp attack on the political landscape and the boycotts within the current election campaign. He warns that attempts to form a government while excluding voters from the periphery and the right-wing bloc constitute a severe blow to the Mizrahi (Sephardic/Middle Eastern Jewish) public in Israel.

In a pointed social media post, Ben-Dror stated that the "hegemony" prefers Arab towns like Umm al-Fahm over Israeli development towns like Dimona, and Sakhnin over Yeroham. He extended this comparison to other peripheral towns such as Ashkelon, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, Beit She'an, Sderot, Ofakim, Shlomi, Or Akiva, and others, contrasting them with Arab communities. He argued this represents a direct attack on the Mizrahi community, which bears the burden of military service and combat, and on the Mizrahi middle class, including countless families of soldiers and service members who continue to be boycotted.

Ben-Dror analyzed the political rivals' behavior towards the Prime Minister's support base, noting the "huge percentages of support and identification with Netanyahu" in these towns. He criticized the "hegemony" for relying on the Islamic Movement, stating, "Arab partnership can be beautiful, but this is not partnership, it is using Arabs to suppress Mizrahim."

Comparing the current political moves to the historical path of Menachem Begin, Ben-Dror asserted that Begin integrated the Mizrahi community into Israeli society, while the "hegemony's goal" in these elections is to exclude them. He concluded that the current election campaign represents one of the most severe historical events in the suppression of Mizrahim in Israel, but added that it is still possible to rectify the situation.