The Israeli High Court has a long record of flouting the law when it comes to Arab parties’ participation in Knesset elections. 

As the October elections draw closer, the public debate focuses increasingly on the role of the Arab parties and the Arab electorate in the Jewish nation-state.

This distinction—between party and voter—is important for our discussion and is essential in illuminating a frequently misunderstood point in the public debate. This is particularly true in light of the rumors that a former senior police officer is planning to join the ranks of the Islamic Ra’am (The United Arab List) Party, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood—a move that would presumably obscure the true Islamist nature of the party among certain segments of the electorate.

“Arabs flocking to polls in droves…”

The question of Arab participation in parliamentary elections in the Jewish state was a major media item during the 2015 election, when PM Netanyahu warned that: “Arab voters are flocking to the polling stations in droves.”

This declaration was seized by the anti-Netanyahu elements as being somehow “racist”, purportedly hinting that ballots of Arab voters were of lesser value than those of Jewish voters, an accusation that seemed to resonate internationally, attracting much criticism of both Netanyahu and Israel. For example, the then (Obama) White House spokesman castigated Netanyahu for the comment, dubbing it a “cynical election day tactic” and a “transparent effort to marginalize Arab-Israeli citizens and their right to participate in their democracy.”

However, the truth was quite different. The appeal was not intended to discourage or diminish the Arab electorate’s right to........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)