After the elections: The system's predicament and the weighty issue of Palestinian citizens of Israel
The article discusses the unprecedented electoral achievement of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Knesset elections, arguing that it has placed the Israeli political system in a structural predicament due to its refusal to recognize Arabs and their rights. The author calls for building independent national civil institutions and asserts that the results exposed the contradiction between the state's Jewishness and its claim to democracy.
The article begins with the fundamental question about the dimensions of the unprecedented electoral achievement of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Israeli Knesset elections, where they won an unprecedented number of seats. The author argues that this achievement places the Israeli political system in a structural predicament, as the competing camps are unable to form a stable government due to their absolute refusal to recognize Arabs and their collective rights. The article raises an epistemological dilemma: is this predicament a failure of the Arab project or a manifestation of historical success? The author calls for building and strengthening independent national and civil institutions, drawing on the legacy of organizations such as 'Adalah' and 'Musawa'. He argues that the achievement exposed the fundamental contradiction between the state's Jewishness and its claim to democracy, laying bare the exclusionary nature of the system before the public. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of continuing the struggle to turn the crisis into a lever for societal and political empowerment, while noting the material difference between Zionist parties regarding the daily lives of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.