"Netanyahu received Arafat in an unusual way": Mansour Abbas may make history

Zuhair Bahloul, a former MK from the Labor party, expressed hope in a conversation with Aryeh Eldad and Ron Kofman on 103fm that the joining of Yoav Segalovitz to Ra'am would be significant and remembered as a brilliant move.

"There is a deep difference, mainly in the Jewish eye, because no one gives legitimacy to the pure Arab voice. We reached the conclusion that if you want to enter, and not drown in Israeli politics, you must join others." Bahloul further claimed regarding MK Segalovitz's move that "it was done with fashionable delay, but it could turn out to be one of the most brilliant moves. This move could turn out within 80 days until the elections to be one of the most brilliant."

Later he mentioned: "We know that Rabin met Arafat, we know that Netanyahu received Arafat at Balfour in an unusual way. The dissonance between what happened on October 7 and reality causes fears to accumulate and form." He further noted: "No one mustered the courage, and it seems to me that the one who did was Dr. Mansour Abbas, who made surprising moves. One of these moves was the move with Segalovitz, and it is not the only one."

"It seems to me that other politicians who boast of their abilities are also betraying their principles because Arabs and Jews live in this country. What can be done if in this country, the nation-state of the Jews, there are 21% Arabs, most of whom participate in the life of the state," he clarified.

"All our desire is to integrate, and this word will also create an aspiration for equality"

"We do not have a decisive role at the central junctions in the Middle East, in relation to what is happening in the recent period," added Bahloul. "Let us not bear responsibility that cannot be borne, because everything happening in the Middle East is far from the Arab minority in the country. All our desire is to integrate, and this word will also create an aspiration for equality."

"Arabs also have diversity, and there is a pendulum and opinions and positions and also a struggle," he said. "I imagine that this is how it will form, and this is a problem of the bloc that will certainly produce a mandate in other districts. Whatever happens, I think it is a brilliant move that proves that one needs to think outside the box. One that wants, while aspiring that Jews also integrate into the politics of Arabs and Arabs into that of Jews, not to close mouths."

"At the end of the integration process, buds will appear, and Arabs will truly not be outside the path of civil service"

"In 1948, while recognizing Israel, the communists were the first to support the establishment of the State of Israel," he clarified. "I think a call should go out to moderate the discourse, to allow more tolerance, to allow Arabs to integrate into the politics of Arabs. Segalovitz's move proves that it is possible. Why didn't you talk about the Shura Council, which Abbas no longer relies on? Isn't this a move that has concessions in it? It is definitely such," he expanded.

"There is today a willingness of the Arab parties and Arab politicians to integrate also into Israeli politics," Bahloul said firmly. "This is how we will become an inseparable part of a future coalition that will cause the one responsible for all the catastrophes and the apocalypse that has accompanied us from October 7 until today to disappear."

"I think that in time, Arabs will begin to serve in one service or another, while I, of course, do not like the expression 'national service' so much, but rather 'civil service'. I think that at the end of the integration process, you will begin to receive buds, and Arabs will truly not be outside the path of civil service. We demand equality, but we will also fulfill our civil duty, why not?" he said in conclusion.