Balad party leader: 'Israel treats us like Palestinians'
Balad party chairman Mtanes Shehadeh, elected Saturday to lead the party in the upcoming elections, said Israel treats Israeli Arabs like Palestinians, and thus Israelis shouldn't be surprised if Arabs identify as Palestinians.
Shehadeh referred to the party opening its Saturday meeting with the Palestinian anthem, and said they are "a part of the Palestinian people," adding that "the Israeli flag and anthem doesn't represent us (the Arab public), it is a part of the oppression we experience."
