The Transformation of Arab Politics and Arab Voter Behavior in Israeli Elections (1999-2009)

Year 2023, Volume: 15 Issue: 1, 1 - 18, 29.09.2023

Oğuzhan Çağlıyan

https://doi.org/10.47932/ortetut.1303374

Abstract

Bu makale, 1999-2009 yılları arasındaki döneme odaklanarak İsrail'deki Yahudi-Arap ilişkilerinin karmaşık ağının ülkedeki Arap siyaseti ve Arap seçmen tercihlerine etkilerini araştırmaktadır. Bu on yıllık dönemde, liderlik değişimleri ve siyasi çoğulculuk başta olmak üzere çeşitli iç faktörler Arap azınlıktaki toplumsal manzaranın yeniden şekillenmesinde önemli bir rol oynamışken, İsrail-Filistin barış sürecinin çökmesi ve İkinci İntifada'nın patlak vermesi gibi dış faktörlerse Arap kökenli İsrail vatandaşlarının ulusal kimlik ikilemlerini arttırmıştır. 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006 ve 2009 yıllarında yapılan seçimlerde İsrail’deki Arap azınlığın oy verme eğilimlerini analiz eden bu çalışmanın temel amacı gitgide artan Yahudi-Arap geriliminin İsrail vatandaşı Arapların siyasi katılım ve oy verme davranışları üzerindeki derin etkilerini vurgulamak ve böylece Arap seçmenlerin değişen eğilimlerinin İsrail'in genel siyasi manzarasına olan etkilerini ortaya koymaktır. Bulgular, sosyal marjinalizasyon ve artan Yahudi-Arap geriliminin Arap azınlığın seçimlere katılımını önemli ölçüde etkilediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, Arap seçmenlerin Yahudi-Siyonist partilerden uzaklaşması paradoksal bir şekilde hem Arap partilerinin hem de sağ kanattaki Yahudi-Siyonist partilerin seçim performanslarına katkı sağlamıştır.

Keywords

İsrail, Arap, Azınlık, Seçim, Knesset

The Transformation of Arab Politics and Arab Voter Behavior in Israeli Elections (1999-2009)

Abstract

This article delves into the transformative decade between 1999 and 2009, exploring the intricate web of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel and the consequential impact of Jewish-Arab tensions on Arab politics and Arab voter behavior in Israeli elections. During this decade, internal factors, such as generational shift, leadership changes, and political pluralism, played a pivotal role in reshaping the societal landscape in the Arab sector. On the other hand, external factors, including the collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation process and the eruption of the Second Intifada, intensified the predicament of Israeli citizens of Arab origin, amplifying their national identity dilemma. The primary objective of this study is to analyze voting patterns within the Arab sector during the elections of 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, and 2009, thereby highlighting the profound political implications of the Jewish-Arab tensions on Arab political engagement and voting behaviors. By doing so, this research provides insights into the changing patterns of Arab votes and their impact on the broader political landscape of Israel. The findings reveal that the growing social marginalization and disconnection from the Jewish sector significantly influenced the Arab sector's electoral participation. This period witnessed a decline in Arab voter turnout and a shift in support from left-wing Jewish-Zionist parties to Arab parties, paradoxically contributing to the electoral performances of both Arab parties and right-wing Jewish-Zionist parties.

Keywords

Israel, Knesset, Arab, Minority, Elections

References

• Arian, Asher, and Michal Shamir. 2002. "Introduction." In The Elections in Israel: 2001, by Asher Arian and Michal Shamir, 7-28. Jerusalem: The Israel Democracy Institute.
• Arian, Asher, and Michal Shamir. 2003. Israel National Election Study. Survey, Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University.
• Bishara, Azmi. 1999. "On Ethnic Democracy and Other Models: A Discussion of the Status of Arabs in Politics." Panim, Vol. 9 110-122.
• Bligh, Alexander. 2013. "Political Trends in the Israeli Arab Population and Its Vote in Parliamentary Elections." Israel Affairs, Vol. 19, No. 1 21-50.
• Arian, Asher, and Michal Shamir. 2002. "Introduction." In The Elections in Israel: 2001, by Asher Arian and Michal Shamir, 7-28. Jerusalem: The Israel Democracy Institute.
• Arian, Asher, and Michal Shamir. 2003. Israel National Election Study. Survey, Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University.
• Bishara, Azmi. 1999. "On Ethnic Democracy and Other Models: A Discussion of the Status of Arabs in Politics." Panim, Vol. 9 110-122.
• Bligh, Alexander. 2013. "Political Trends in the Israeli Arab Population and Its Vote in Parliamentary Elections." Israel Affairs, Vol. 19, No. 1 21-50.
• Frisch, Hillel. 1999. "The Arab Vote in the Israeli Elections: The Bid for Leadership." Israel Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 2 153-170.
• Gerstenfeld, Manfred. 2010. "The Run-up to the Elections: A Political History of the 2009 Campaign." Israel Affairs, Vol. 16, No. 1 14-30.
• Ghanem, Asad, and Sarah Ozacky-Lazar. 2002. "Israel as an Ethnic State: The Arab Vote." In The Elections in Israel - 1999, by Asher Arian and Michal Shamir, 121-140. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
• Jamal, Amal. 2002. «Abstention as Participation: The Labyrinth of Arab Politics in Israel.» The Elections in Israel - 2001 içinde, yazan Asher Arian ve Michal Shamir, 55-104. Jerusalem: The Israel Democracy Institute.
• Knesset. 2014. Constitution for Israel: The Knesset Basic Law. 29 December. Erişildi: January 06, 2023.
• https://knesset.gov.il/constitution/ConstP2_eng.htm. —. 2003. Knesset Members of the Fifteenth Knesset. 17 February. Erişildi: October 29, 2022.
• https://knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mkindexByKnesset_eng.asp?knesset=15. —. 2009. Knesset Members of the Seventeenth Knesset. 24 February. Erişildi: October 29, 2022.
• https://knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mkindexByKnesset_eng.asp?knesset=17. —. 2006. Knesset Members of the Sixteenth Knesset. 17 April. Erişildi: October 29, 2022.
• https://knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mkindexByKnesset_eng.asp?knesset=16. —. 1999. Members of the Fourteenth Knesset. June 07. Accessed January 03, 2023. https://knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mkindexByKnesset_eng.asp?knesset=14.
• —. 1996. Members of the Thirteenth Knesset. June 17. Accessed January 03, 2023. https://knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mkindexByKnesset_eng.asp?knesset=13.
• Koren, David. 2010. «Arab Israeli Citizens in the 2009 Elections: Between Israeli Citizenship and Palestinian Arab Identity.» Israel Affairs, Vol. 16, No. 1 124-141.
• McCarthy, Rory. 2009. "Hardline Populist Lieberman Could be Surprise Kingmaker in Israeli Election." The Guardian. February 05. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/05/israel-election-lieberman-opinion-polls.
• Peretz, Don, Rebecca Kook, and Gideon Doron. 2003. "Knesset Election 2003: Why Likud Regained Its Political Domination and Labor Continued to Fade Out." Middle East Journal, Vol. 57, No. 4 588-603.
• Rekhess, Elie. 2008. "The Arab Minority in Israel and the 17th Knesset Elections." In The Elections in Israel - 2006, by Asher Arian and Michal Shamir, 159-188. Jerusalem: The Israel Democracy Institute.
• Rekhess, Elie. 2005. The Arab Vote in the Next Knesset Elections: Results of a public Opinion Poll. Survey, Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University.
• Rekhess, Elie. 2002. «The Arabs of Israel after Oslo: Localization of the National Struggle.» Israel Studies, Vol. 7, No. 3 1-44.
• Rekhess, Elie. 2000. "The Islamic Movement in Israel and its Affinity to Political Islam in the Territories." In The Jewish-Arab Rift in Israel: A Reader, by Ruth Gavison and Dafna Hacker, 290-294. Jerusalem: The Israel Institute of Democracy.
• Rouhana, Nadim, Nabil Saleh, and Nimer Sultany. 2005. "Voting Without Vote: About the Vote of the Palestinian Minority in the 16th Knesset Elections." In The Elections in Israel: 2003, by Asher Arian and Michal Shamir, 215-244. Jerusalem: The Israel Democracy Institute.
• Sa'abni, Amid, Nadim Rouhana, and Suleiman Mahameed. 2003. Series of Public Opinion Polls among Palestinians in Israel. Survey, Haifa: The Arab Center for Applied Social Research.
• Swirski, Shlomo, and Etty Konor-Attias. 2002. Israel: A Social Report (2002). Survey, Tel Aviv: ADVA Center.
• Walla. 2009. המכירות הקמעוניות בארה"ב עלו במפתיע ב-1% בחודש ינואר; מספר המקבלים דמי אבטלה זינק לשיא. February 12. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://finance.walla.co.il/item/1434846.
• Warschawski, Michel. 2006. "The 2006 Israeli Elections: A Drive to Normalcy and Separation." Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 35, No. 4 44-53.
• Zadka, Saul. 1999. "Israel's New Agenda: Reflections on the 1999 Elections." Security Dialogue, Vol. 30, No. 4 459-472.