Head of the Southern Islamic Movement and United Arab List-Ta'al Chairman
Knesset Member Ibrahim Sarsur sent a letter to Balad Chairman
MK Jamal Zahalka over the weekend, calling on him to step up the party's unity talks.
"We should jump on the chance," said Sarsur's letter. Zahalka reportedly replied by saying the two should meet.
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Ta'al and Balad have reportedly been negotiating joining forces ahead of the nearing general elections.
"Following our recent conversations I have decided that we should begin intense negotiation in order to achieve results in the quickest time possible.
"The decision stems from the fact that our responsibility, both from an Islamic and a national standpoint, is similar. We face challenges which are meant to serve the public interest and I have no doubt that we share the same pure intentions," said Sarsur's letter.
The letter ends with the suggestion to finalize the matter before Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, which is celebrated on Monday.
Zahalka, on his part, asked for a preliminary meeting in order to "have a better understanding of what we're talking about. What will be our agenda? We need to see what we do and don’t agree on, in order to make this meeting a prolific one."
Zahalka'a party, Balad, has called on all Arab parties to unite ahead of the next election. The party has been exploring the possibility of a joint list with Hadash,
a notion the latter's Secretary-General Ayman Auda has not written off.
As for the possibility of joining forces with the Islamic Movement, Auda said that the chances for that are slim: "There is a huge different between our perception and theirs, both socially and in terms of women's status. I don't see us running together."
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