Barakeh - Making a statement in Akko
Photo: Hagai Aharon
Hadash MK Khenin - Running in Tel Aviv
Photo: Yaron Brener
Hadash sets sights on municipalities
Opting to focus on upcoming local elections rather than the Knesset, leading Arab party pledges to double its power in municipalities, spell end to the clan mentality that has been blamed for paralyzing political climate in sector
While the rest of the Arab political parties are busy calling for unity in an attempt to retain their power in the Knesset ahead of the upcoming general elections, the Hadash party is surprisingly investing every last effort in the municipal elections, which are scheduled for November 11th.
Hadash in Tel Aviv
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"We choose to serve the public and double our strength in the municipal elections, we are confident this will have an effect on the Knesset elections," said Hadash chairman, MK Mohammad Barakeh.
According to the party's secretary-general, Ayman Auda, not one of Hadash's candidates in the run to head their respective municipalities comes from a big clan. "This is the first time it's been examined this way," boasted Auda.
"I wanted to see if the belief that Arab residents vote according to their clan was accurate, and determined that all our candidates come from small families – yet they are still ahead. This teaches us that the elections truly are about politics, and having nothing to do with outside considerations," he said.
Nazareth Mayor Rames Jarrisi for example, comes from a family in which 198 are eligible to cast their ballot in a city of 49,077 voters.
'Enough of the clan mentality'
In Sakhnin, where Hadash incumbent Mohammad Bashir is being challenged by Mazen Ghnaim, 432 of potential voters belong to the Bashir family while the figure for the Ghnaim clan is in the thousands."And yet we will still win in Sakhnin, and in new towns as well," insists Auda, "because the Arab voter is tired of the clan mentality – he loves the clan, but would rather see an incorrupt, professional man at the head of his town, someone with a political agenda."
Hadash enjoys considerable success compared to other Arab parties on the municipal level. Rival Balad, for example, has no candidates for the top position in any local elections.
Hadash has made an effort to find candidates for nearly every municipality – whether they be predominately Arab or mixed. In Akko, despite overwhelming odds, Hadash has a mayoral candidate.
"We see it as making a statement," said MK Barakeh of the Akko campaign, "just as this is the first year we are running in Carmiel, and choosing to run in Nazareth Illit, Ramle, Lod, Haifa and Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
"Hadash has always been a political party, and people relate to it as such. Other political parties do nothing to make use of their privilege to contribute to local politics," added Barakeh.
He also addressed the candidacy of MK Dov Khenin, the first Hadash member to run in a Jewish city. "Khenin may be running on behalf of the 'City for All' movement, but we see this as a very important and refreshing bid."
