"The world has failed. We, the Palestinian citizens, have stopped Netanyahu"

In an interview with 'Local Call', Balad chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh claims that Palestinian citizens are the only ones who have stopped the Netanyahu government. He explains the recommendation for Gadi Eisenkot out of commitment to the unity of the Joint List, and criticizes the disregard for the Arab voice.

In an interview with 'Local Call' just before the swearing-in of the Knesset, Balad chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh claims that Palestinian citizens are the only ones who have succeeded in stopping the Netanyahu government. According to him, the achievement of the Joint List – over half a million votes and 11 seats – and Ra'am's eight seats express a change in the political experience of the Arab public. Abu Shahadeh, who withdrew from the race after the discussion of his disqualification in the Supreme Court, was active in the Joint List campaign alongside Ayman Odeh. He explains that Balad's recommendation to task Gadi Eisenkot with forming the government stemmed from the need to maintain the unity of the list, despite there being no agreement on Eisenkot as a good candidate. Abu Shahadeh criticizes Eisenkot and President Isaac Herzog for ignoring the Arab voice, and warns of incitement against Arabs following a video by Netanyahu. He assesses that Eisenkot may succeed in forming a government, but fears that attacks on Arab society will continue.

"The world has failed. We, the Palestinian citizens, have stopped Netanyahu"