United Arab List (1977)

The United Arab List (Hebrew: רשימה ערבית מאוחדת, "Reshima Aravit Meuhedet") was an Israeli Arab political party in Israel during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is not connected to the modern day United Arab List.

Background

The party was formed on 8 March 1977, during the eighth Knesset by the merger of the Arab List for Bedouins and Villagers and Progress and Development. Both were Israeli Arab parties associated with the Alignment, and had merged into it shortly after the 1973 elections, only to break away again. The new party had three seats in the Knesset, held by Hamad Abu Rabia, Jabr Moade and veteran Israeli Arab politician, Seif-El-Din El-Zubi.

In the 1977 elections the party won just one seat. The three former MKs agreed to take it on a rotation basis. El-Zubi held the seat first, staying in the Knesset until 3 April, 1979, and was then replaced by Abu Rabia. However, it was claimed that Abu Rabia was refusing to give up the seat in favour of Moade, an allegation that resulted in Abu Rabia being assassinated on 12 January, 1981 by Moade's sons. Despite his family's role in Abu Rabia's death, Moade took the seat for the remainder of the Knesset session.

The party failed to cross the electoral threshold in the 1981 election (indeed, no solely Israeli Arab parties did, making it the only Knesset without one), and subsequently disappeared.

External links

* [http://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=51 United Arab List] Knesset website