Introduction
The most recent municipal elections in Israel were held on November 11, 2008 in 161
settlements, including 54 Arab and Druze settlements. In the vast majority of these
settlements, elections were characterized by very high voting rates, reaching 90% in
several settlements. Fierce competition raged among local government candidates and
lists competing for seats in local councils. Three months later, on February 10, 2009,
elections for the 18th Knesset were held. According to Central Bureau of Statistics
figures, Arabs and Druze accounted for 14% of all eligible voters in Israel (672 thousand
of a total of 4.8 million). In contrast to the emotionally charged atmosphere that
accompanied the local election campaigns, the Arab public remained indifferent to the
Knesset elections. Following a trend whose indications have been evident for the past
decade, participation of Arab and Druze citizens continued to decline in these elections,
reaching an unprecedented low of 53.4%. Nonetheless, the number of Arab and Druze
MKs increased by one seat in the 18th Knesset compared to the previous Knesset, from
13 to 14 Members of Knesset. One of the critical contributing factors to this increase in
Arab and Druze representation in the current Knesset, compared to the previous Knesset,
was the particularly high voting rate (82%) for Arab parties and the unprecedented drop
in voting for Jewish-Zionist parties (18%) by Arab voters. This fact allowed the three
main parties representing the Arab population in Israel - Raam-Taal (United Arab List
and Arab Movement for Change), Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality),
and Balad (National Democratic Alliance) - to surpass the required minimum and to
increase their aggregate power by one seat: 11 seats in the current Knesset, compared
to 10 seats in the previous Knesset. In addition, three Druze MKs represented Jewish-
Zionist parties: Kadima, Likud, and Yisrael Beytenu.
This collection of articles examines a series of issues relating to local and national
(Knesset) election campaigns in Israel.
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