Prof. Michal Muszkat-Barkan: The polling stations have closed, the question of partnership has only just opened
Prof. Michal Muszkat-Barkan writes an opinion piece calling not to disqualify Arab political partnership based on external signs such as a kippah or a party shirt, and emphasizes the need for shared education and government investment in shared life after the elections.
Prof. Michal Muszkat-Barkan, professor of Jewish education at Hebrew Union College, writes an opinion piece on the need for Arab political partnership in Israel after the elections. She opens with two classroom stories: a student wearing a kippah who stood by the Democrats' booth was repeatedly asked how a religious person could stand there; another student avoided wearing an identifying shirt so as not to be classified in advance. Muszkat-Barkan argues that the habit of inferring from the kippah, the shirt, or the community who a person voted for and what they think has become a dangerous political principle, disqualifying an entire public as a potential partner. She notes that the high voter turnout in Arab society sent a clear message of a desire to take part in the country's future, and calls for distinguishing between criticism of positions and wholesale disqualification of Arab partnership. The article emphasizes the need for shared Jewish-Arab education, multi-year investment in teacher training for managing conflict, and ongoing encounters between the groups, as part of a national infrastructure rather than a temporary project.