Israel's Arab parties announced Thursday that they will be vying in the March 17 elections on joint ticket. Newly elected Hadash leader Aiman Ouda has been chosen to head the new list, whose named has yet to be announced. The negotiations between Balad, Ra'am-Ta'al, and Hadash, were described by sources in all three parties as very difficult, as they could not agree on the composition of their joint Knesset list. The negotiations seemed deadlocked as of Tuesday, prompting the parties to form a special committee of prominent figures in the Arab sector, who were able to broker a compromise and form a potential Knesset list. All parties must present their final rosters to the Central Elections Committee by Jan. 29. While polls predicted an independent race by the Arab parties would see both Ra'am-Ta'al and Hadash win only handful of seats each, Balad was predicted to fail to meet the election threshold altogether, which would have excluded it from the Knesset for the first time since 1996. A joint ticket, however, could see the parties win as many as 14 Knesset seats, potentially making them the fourth-largest faction in parliament. MK Masud Ganaim (Ra'am-Ta'al) was slated second on the joint list, followed by Balad Chairman MK Jamal Zahalka. Ra'am-Ta'al leader MK Ahmad Tibi, who enjoys immense popularity in the Arab sector, was slated fourth, after having forfeited his demand to chair the new party, in exchange for securing a realistic placement for another Ra'am-Ta'al member. MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) was slated sixth and MK Dov Khenin (Hadash), who is the only Jewish MK on the list, was slated eighth. The parties have agreed on a rotation between MKs slated between the 12th and 15th places. "This is a historic achievement for the Arab parties and the Arab sector," Tibi said. Zahalka echoed the sentiment, saying, "This is an historic achievement that will change the political map in Israel, and Balad was instrumental is facilitating it. This is our answer to the racist Right and to those who wanted to annihilate Arab representation in Israeli politics."
