'PA, not Arab MKs, responsible for establishing Palestinian state'

• Author: KHALED ABU TOAMEH
• Published date: 17 January 2021
• Date: 17 January 2021

While nearly 55% of Arab-Israelis care about the Palestinian issue, only 9% believe it should be the No. 1 issue for Arab MKs, he said.

Darawshe, a resident of the village of Iksal near Nazareth and a director at the Givat Haviva Center for Equality and Shared Society, said his party's main focus in the next Knesset would be on economic and social issues related to the Arab sector and not the Palestinian issue.

"That does not mean we will give up our main principles, namely, supporting the two-state solution," he said. "But we are not the ones responsible for the establishment of a Palestinian state. That's the job of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority should be handling this matter and not the Arab members of the Knesset."

Darawshe's remarks seemed to hit a chord with a growing number of Arab-Israelis who are disappointed with their current representatives in the Knesset, specifically the Joint List members.

Many Arab citizens have long accused the Arab MKs of spending more time and effort defending the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip than helping their own constituents.

Citing polls that show the Joint List will lose four or five seats in the upcoming general election, Darawshe said Arabs are dissatisfied with the performance of their representatives and want new leadership.

"Polls give the Joint List [which now has 15 seats] eight to 10 seats," he said. "The question is what are we going to do with the five to seven seats that the Arab sector is about to lose. We want to prevent these seats from going to other parties."

According to Ma'an's platform, its goal is to "end institutional and legal racism and fully participate in decision-making." It also seeks to enter a government coalition as part of its effort to achieve equality and integration of Arabs into the state institutions.

"Our new party comes to reshape Jewish-Arab discourse in Israel," Darawshe told The Jerusalem Post. "We want to reflect the perspectives of the majority of Arab citizens, who seek full integration in Israeli society on the basis of civic equality. We are not shy of reality; while having clear Palestinian identity, we admit our...