The Front, Change, and the Assembly: We Are Ready for a Technical Electoral Joint List and Call on the United List for Immediate Signature

SadaNews - The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, the National Democratic Assembly, and the Arab Movement for Change held a joint meeting this evening, Sunday, after a series of sessions and deliberations that took place recently, with the aim of progressing towards reshaping the joint list and removing obstacles to achieving the anticipated agreement.

The three parties confirmed their agreement on the central political issues raised, whether in the political document presented by the National Democratic Assembly or the roadmap put forth by the Front and the Arab Movement for Change, emphasizing the importance of continued political and parliamentary coordination after the elections.

The statement added, "We had wished for the United List to be part of the political agreement and to contribute to strengthening it, yet we are aware of the significant disagreement in perspectives between us and our brothers in the United List regarding the nature, essence, and approach of the joint list."

The statement further indicated: "Nonetheless, from our recognition of the importance of the joint list with its four components in facing existential dangers, we express our readiness to conclude an agreement with the United List on the basis of a technical electoral joint list, aimed at increasing the voting percentage, enhancing Arab representation, and overthrowing the fascist right-wing government."

It was also affirmed in the statement that: "The idea of sharing political roles within a technical list hinders the efforts to establish the joint list and contradicts the principle of the political independence of the parties."

The three parties confirmed that they had preferred, and still prefer, to reach a comprehensive political agreement among the components of the joint list. However, out of their recognition of the importance of unity and the pressing national need for it, they appeal to their brothers in the United List for immediate signing of the agreement to establish the joint list, especially in light of the ongoing persecution and threats of being rendered illegal and the disbanding of Arab parties, without any delays or postponements, so that we can announce to our people the news of restructuring the joint list on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which would restore hope to our community and enhance its unity and ability to face the escalating challenges and dangers.

The United List: "We Welcome the Tri-party Agreement and Are Ready to Sign a Pluralistic Technical Joint List Without Provisions That Deplete Its Content"

The United List issued a statement in which it welcomed the formation of the technical joint list, as it would help increase the voting percentage and enhance Arab representation.

The statement mentioned that the United List is "ready to sign the establishment of a pluralistic technical joint list. The pluralistic technical list means that each party retains its project, freedom, and discourse in front of its audience without obligation. Any clause imposing mandatory conditions on any of the parties would strip the technicality of its content and transform the pluralistic technical joint list into something else, which we reject and aspire not to occur. We want to simplify this for the sons and daughters of our Arab community and the supporters of the parties, so that the upcoming agreement is clear to everyone."

The United List stated: "The pluralistic technical list is the ideal solution that meets the desires of our community's sons and daughters and preserves the characteristics of the parties. We proposed it because it serves all parties, not just the United List. Just as the United List does not prevent entry into a coalition or providing a blocking body for the upcoming change government, it also gives other parties the freedom of action; for example, it does not obligate the Assembly to recommend Naftali Bennett or Gadi Eizenkot, nor does it obligate another party to vote on an issue that contradicts its beliefs and principles, or anything else. Therefore, the pluralistic technical joint list embodies the desire of our Arab community for unity, with a political project aimed at increasing Arab representation in the Knesset, repelling the right-wing government, and weakening it without imposing partisan agendas from one party on another. It also opens the door for the entry of an Arab party into a governmental coalition."

The statement added: "Regarding the understandings of sharing roles mentioned by the United List, they are understandings aimed at enabling parties to reach broad lines that preserve the interests of the Arab community, to prevent a repeat of what happened in the previous government."

It concluded by stating: "To be clear to the public: The proposal for sharing roles is a non-binding proposal, and these are not conditions but understandings that are important to consider to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated. This is the official position of the United Arab List."