Q&A: An Arab Party in the Government
An Arab Party in the Government
Question
Hello Rabbi Michi.
Do you think there is a problem with an Arab party being part of the coalition, and the government relying on its votes, as was the case in Bennett’s government, which relied on Ra’am?
Is it less problematic when there is a coalition of 61 without an Arab party?
I felt that when Ra’am was the deciding factor in the government, as has been the case until now, Arab nationalism intensified. I would be glad to hear the Rabbi’s opinion on the matter.
Answer
There is no problem at all. On the contrary, it is the need of the hour. We must try to integrate the Arabs and ensure as much equality as possible, without this contradicting the need to deal firmly with problematic phenomena. The idea of a stick without a carrot toward the Arabs does not work, and the voices that keep insisting on it are making that mistake again and again. See column 149.
I do not know what your feeling was based on. I, for one, felt exactly the opposite. In my view, the fact that Abbas, with his moderate and pragmatic messages, and despite the fierce campaign being waged against him by the Joint List, receives many votes in the Arab sector (repeatedly passing the electoral threshold), against the general nationalist current there—that is an encouraging phenomenon. It shows that there is a broad segment of the Arab public that is not aligned with the rampant nationalism of the Joint List. We should have been the first to strengthen him and cooperate with him. True, there were members of his party who were not as pragmatic as he was, and that is a shame. Just as there were in Bennett’s party and in Meretz. But Abbas marks the beginning of a very important process, and in my view it is very important to seize it and not give up. I hope that this beginning, which by its nature was rather faltering (because of the other members in those parties), will overcome that, grow stronger going forward, and get properly on track.
Discussion on Answer
Ben-Gvir too, and almost all the rabbis I know, speak differently when they are talking to their flock and when they are speaking outside. Just as he describes with Ra’am, the religious crowd here is also waiting for an opportunity to establish a state governed by Jewish law. How is that different? They too are waging a civil jihad.
I am saying again that a person is judged by his practice, not by his theory and utopia. I have not learned anything new here. For some reason the Arabs are fighting against him, and apparently do not know what Kedar says all Arabs understand—that he is carrying out a civil jihad.
Rabbi Michi, I suggest you listen to Dr. Mordechai Kedar explain about Mansour Abbas.
According to him, Abbas speaks differently in Hebrew and in Arabic, and in truth he holds a dangerous ideology.