The Balad party was created in 1995 by unifying three movements, most prominent among them the Bnei Hakfar ("Sons of the Village") Movement, which espoused establishing a Palestinian state in all of Israel and the right of return for refugees. Balad first ran for the Knesset in 1996 on a joint ticket with Hadash, winning one mandate that was represented by its leading figure and one of its founders, Azmi Bishara. According to the party's platform, it defines itself as an Arab, nationalist, Palestinian and democratic party, and its aim is to work for social justice and to form a connection between Palestinian national identity and democratic principles. Additionally, one of its agendas is to fight against the Zionist idea, while fighting for the right of return and release of Palestinian prisoners. Balad was founded on these agendas, and its members were elected to the Knesset for the first time in 1996 based on the party platform. The party's work to undermine democracy in Israel was never a secret. Its leaders boasted about the crimes Bishara committed against national security during the Second Lebanon War, along with MK Hanin Zoabi's participation in the Mavi Marmara flotilla, and MK Basel Ghattas' participation in a subsequent flotilla to Gaza, which had departed from Italy. The statements that every Balad representative has made -- while addressing the Knesset plenum or in various parliamentary committees -- also point to the feelings within the party. The question is: How is it possible for sitting Knesset members to act in such a manner? Are they really champions of "human rights"? Is this truly about care and concern for the Palestinians? Do they actually pursue social equality? Or is everything we see one giant show, and personal interests and political survival their only true motivations? How much support does the party have among the Arab public, and do all its members support the ideas of its Knesset representatives? In the 2013 elections, a deal it struck with Hadash gave Balad three mandates, without which the party would not have passed the minimum vote threshold. Prior to the last elections, before the unification of the Joint Arab List, polls projected Balad to win between two and two-and-a-half mandates, proof it was the least favored party among voters in the Arab sector at the time. Also of note is Zoabi's failed bid to become mayor of Nazareth, a race she lost in the first round of voting. These figures are a testament to Balad's lack of popularity in Arab society, in comparison to parties such as the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel and Hadash. In a January 2016 vote by Balad's central committee, Ghattas and Zoabi fell down the party ticket to unrealistic Knesset positions. Many believed it was due to their extremism and incitement, but these are not the real reasons behind their marginalization. The real reasons are divisions within Balad, mainly into two groups. The first is the former Bnei Hakfar faction headed by Balad Secretary General Awad Abdelfattah, who opposes the party's participation in elections for the Knesset and is a fervent supporter of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria. The second is the Azmi Bashara faction, led by Zoabi and Ghattas, who were dealt a heavy blow in the central committee elections. What Ghattas did inside Ketziot Prison on Sunday is not a deviation from the party's platform. Unfortunately, however, in our country the eyes of the law open only when the law is broken; first by Bishara, now by Ghattas, with unbridled incitement and defiance in the Knesset in between, under the umbrella of democracy that they use to undermine the very entity which provides it. Wielding slogans such as "patriotism," Ghattas and Zoabi are able to procure a tiny portion of public support. Meanwhile, the moment any attempt is made to try bringing them to justice, they will claim and cry political persecution because they "fight for equality and on behalf of the Arab public." To my regret, there will be those who believe them in the Arab public, the same public that is only hurt by them.
Whom does Balad truly represent?
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
