Briefing Call | Israel's Arab Citizens and the Second Electi...

Following historically low Arab voter turnout in April, Israel’s second national elections on September 17 are seen as a chance for Arab leadership to energize voters and increase representation in the Knesset. Political activists and civil society leaders are also working to change discourse about Arab political participation and Jewish-Arab political cooperation, which was a central aspect of divisive campaigning in the first round. What are the challenges and issues facing Arab parties and what possible roles are being explored for Arab political representation in Israel? What are the interests of Arab voters?

Join us on July 18 at 12:00pm for a briefing call with Samah Salaime, Director of Communications and Development of Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom and Haaretz's Jack Khoury for inside perspectives into these issues.

Conference Call Details:
Thursday, July 18, 2019 - 12 pm ET
Conferencing information provided upon RSVP

Please RSVP to [email protected]

About the Speakers

Samah Salaime

Samah is a member of Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom (WASNS), a social worker, community activist and feminist. She is the founder of AWC, Arab Women in the Center, an NGO which seeks to promote the status of women in the cities of Ramla, Lod and Jaffa and to combat gender-based violence against women, particularly in Arab society. In 2017 and 2018 Samah was chosen by the Israeli National Newspaper "Yediot Achronot" as one of the 10 most influential social activists in Israel. Samah was awarded her B.A. and Master’s Degrees in Social Work from The Hebrew University. She is a graduate of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership. She is an accomplished journalist with articles published in Hebrew, Arabic and English. She is a regular contributor to +972 Magazine. Samah is very active within WASNS and is a leading voice in Israel’s Arab community. She has served as WASNS Director of the Educational Institutions and Director of WASNS Communication and Development Department for the past two years. Most recently she organized an Arab-Jewish demonstration against gender-based violence in Tel Aviv, which was attended by 30,000 people. This year Samah became the first Arab woman to be elected to the local regional council and to the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University.

Jack Khoury

Jack is a journalist and commentator on Arab society in Israel, began his journalistic career in 1998 in northern Israel as a reporter for local media in Arabic and Hebrew. One of his early assignments was to cover the October 2000 riots in which 13 Arab citizens were killed by police gunfire in violent clashes that erupted in the Galilee and Wadi Ara. In 2003, he joined Radio AShams, the regional Arab radio station based in Nazareth broadcasting for Israel’s Arab society. In parallel, he joined Haaretz as a news writer for the northern region. In 2009 he began covering Arab society and the Palestinian arena for Haaretz, along with writing opinion columns. At the same time, he was appointed news director for Radio Ashams, where he presents current affairs and related broadcasts. In November 2018 he was awarded the Outstanding Communication Award by the Journalists Association at the Eilat Press Conference