Arab public officials and activists have been working recently to establish a political party that will focus on Arab communities in Israel and their relationships with the government, rather than on Palestinian issues. The party’s platform will be unlike the platforms of other existing Arab parties, such as the National Democratic Assembly, Ra’am-Ta’al and Hadash, which concentrate their efforts mainly on nationalist issues and the rights of Palestinians in the territories.

Throughout last week, senior Arab figures met with the council that heads the fledgling party to discuss the party’s platform, including issues of housing and employment that young Arab couples living in Israel face on a daily basis, and the rising rate of unemployment among the general Arab-Israeli populace.

“[Current] Arab MKs are interested only in matters pertaining to the Palestinians and events in Arab countries,” an Arab community representative and member of the new party’s council told Israel Hayom. “Officials elected by the public to the Knesset are more often found outside the country than in the streets of Arab villages and cities in Israel, and it’s time we changed that.”

The council decided that the party would be headed by Likud central committee member Ataf al-Krenawi, a resident of the southern town of Rahat and a popular figure among Arab Israelis.

“In coming days, we will launch our campaign, which will reach every Arab home in Israel,” Krenawi told Israel Hayom on Saturday. “We want to make a change, facilitate better education among Israeli Arabs, stop the violence and shooting, provide more jobs for the unemployed and provide more affordable housing for young couples. Many people in Arab communities are fed up with the way Arab parties have behaved until now.”

IsraelHayom