Israeli Arab municipal elections: More violence, but more women were independent rather Jack Khoury Arabs-Jews-State project at the Haifa Technion’s Samuel than affiliated with a na- Last week’s local elec- Neaman Institute. “There tional party, though in some tions were marked in Is- was a lot of shooting, a lot of cases, they were based on raeli Arab communities by people wounded and verbal alliances between extended greater violence, mainly but violence verging on incite- families. not entirely on social media. rnent in social media.” Also noteworthy was the Turan, Kafr Kana, Sakh- For Israeli Arabs, he not- increased involvement by nin, Tuba-Zangaria, Kafr ed, local elections are the women. Twenty women won Kana, Lakiya and all most important, since the 10- seats on city councils inline- experienced violence that cal government affects their diately, and another six will included gunfire and prop- lives more than the national be seated later under rota- erty damage. government does. tion agreements. Women’s In Kalansua, the leading Also notable in last week’s organizations active in the mayoral candidate even quit elections was the waning Arab community termed the race due to death threats influence of clans, national this is a big success. against himself and his fam- parties and ideology, Ali A coalition of 11 organi- ily. said. This was reflected in zations sponsored a cam- “There’s no doubt that one multiple mayoral candidates paign called “Your vote is of the characteristics of the from the same clan running your power” to encourage current campaign was seri- in the same town, as well as women to run in the local ous violence,” said Nohad members of the same fain- elections and vote for female Ali, a sociologist at West- ily voting for different can- ern College and the didates. Most of the tickets See ARAB, Page 2

Instead, it backed Afifi, as Mazen Ghnaim, who also quently, Masadeh’s mayor ARAB did other formerly powerful chairs the council of Arab will continue to be an Interi- players. mayors. Ghnaim was con- or Ministry appointee, while The race was therefore sidered a successful mayor, Buqata’s sole candidate be- Continued from page 1 expected to be very close, and was part of a group that came mayor by default. and the campaign was successfully pushed to get In Majdal Shams and candidates. Sawsan Touma- fierce, generating consider- the government to approve Ein Kinya, in contrast, Shukha, who coordinated able verbal violence on so- Cabinet Resolution 922, the candidates refused to the campaign, said it was cial media. But in the end, which injected hundreds withdraw. The elections very successful. She noted Salem won by a margin that of millions of shekels into therefore took place, but the increase in - stunned his rivals. Arab towns over the last turnout was extremely low. women compared to 2013, Salem is considered year. Consequently, he was In neither town did it ex- when only 11 were seated close to the establishment, confident of reelection, but ceed 2 percent of eligible immediately, while 11 oth- and was embraced by the ended up losing by 1,200 voters, which opponents of ers were seated later under prime minister and other votes. the elections saw as a great rotation agreements. cabinet members after After the results were an- success. “We worked in a very fo- he publicly assailed Arab nounced, a few riots broke In Majdal Shams, dozens cused manner and appealed members for their out and caused some prop- of people demonstrated out- to the general public as well behavior. He has been par- erty damage. But after a side the school where voting as the female public, stress- ticularly biting about two few hours, the violence died took place, clashing with ing that a woman on the city senior Hadash members down, aided by Ghnaim’s police. Eventually, police council will always consider — MK Ayman Odeh, chair- public visit to his rival’s dispersed the demonstra- the issues and that it’s very man of the Arab parties’ house to congratulate him. tion, but even so, fewer than important to have more Joint List, and Mohammed Other closely watched 300 people actually voted. women in the system,” she Barakeh, head of the Arab races were those in In a town with 8,130 regis- said. community’s Higher Arab communities in the Golan tered voters, the formerly In , Mayor Ali Monitoring Committee. Heights, where local elec- state-appointed incumbent, Salem was re-elected with After the results were tions were held for the first Mayor Dolan Abu Saleh, 63 percent of the vote, while announced, some Hadash time since captured won with just 259 votes, his rival, businessman Walid members called for the par- the area in the 1967 Six-Day while the other three can- Afifi, garnered 37 percent. ty to do a thorough house- War. didates combined received This election exemplified cleaning. But the national In Masadeh and in Buqa- just 12 votes. the weakening of the na- leadership pointed out that ta, the elections ultimately In Ein Kinya, which has tional Arab parties. despite its searing defeat in never took place, as pub- 1,618 registered voters, The Hadash party, which Nazareth, the party won in lie pressure — including turnout was even lower. controlled Nazareth for several other towns, most threats of social and reli- Wael Dabbous won with just three decades until it lost notably . gious ostracism — led all of 20 votes, two other candi- to Salem, an independent, In Sakhnin, Hadash can- the candidates to bow out in dates received no votes and in 2013, didn’t even run a didate Dr. Safwat Abu Raya Masadeh and all but one to the fourth received only a candidate this time around. defeated the incumbent, withdraw in Buqata. Conse­ single vote.