The main justification given by many Arab Israelis for not casting ballots in Israel's elections on January 22 is based on complaints lodged publicly and privately within Arab Israeli communities about the inefficiencies of Arab MKs and their inability to effectively bring about noteworthy change. Others simply boycotted the Knesset elections based on ideological terms. They choose not to vote as a form of passive resistance and an exercise in recognizing Israel as a illegitimate nation-state with its foundations being based upon land usurpation and ethnic cleansing from its earliest moments of existence. From a Western perspective, this seems so innately, ideologically backward and counterproductive, especially in light of earlier Palestinian attempts at solidarity through boycott, strikes and civil disobedience in 1936; actions that turned into violent uprisings and some scholars argue weakened the Palestinians position so much that they were unable to recover and was ultimately the reason for their demise in 1947-1948. It is also important to mention for those who did not vote, how insulting it is to the thousands that have died in neighboring Arab countries in the past two years (not to mention the millions throughout world history), for the basic human right a majority of Arab Israelis abstained from this year: voting. There are those who make the argument that as Arab Muslims (which is how the majority of Arab Israelis identify), voting within a Jewish majority system is completely moot. They will always be a minority and the Jews will ultimately have the most amount of power. So, what do these same people say to Arab Muslims living in the European Diaspora that exercise their right to vote? Do they tell them that they are wasting their time on behalf of unattainable progress? Then, there are those who understand that democracy is not a system as swift and discerning as totalitarian regimes or dictatorships that many other Arab states are forced to live under. They understand that change does not occur based as a result of the whims or one man, or even one group. They believe that every bit of freedom and representation counts for something. The understanding that it is easier to affect change from inside, than it is from the outside, is strong with those Arab-Israelis who turned out to vote on Tuesday. They also understand that history has proven that effective change within a democracy, especially for minorities, can be a slow and brutal process. The US civil rights movement in the 60s and 70s is a perfect example of this, and justice did prevailed, which major attracting factor of democracies; the justice they ultimately serve. Yet there is an option for Arab Israelis that would essentially speed up the process of change and force the far right to recognize what their country has become: a nominal democracy in the loosest sense of the term, and racist in the purest sense. Indeed, Israel teeters on apartheid state. So, here is what I argue Arab Israelis and Palestinians living in the illegally-occupied West Bank should have done: Arab Israelis should have come out in droves and voted for Likud-Beiteinu (the majority seat holding party in this and the previous Knesset). The number of seats the party would have won would be at least ten to twelve higher, and maybe more. This would give Netanyahu the freedom to do as he pleased (which sounds horrifying, but just keep reading). Essentially this would mean the Arab parties would disappear for a least this term in Knesset, but, as mentioned above, many people already believe Arab Israeli MKs are ineffective. With that said, the loss would be minimal at worst, symbolic at best. At the same time, Palestinians in the illegally-occupied West Bank and Gaza should recognize Israel as a legitimate and recognized state, permanently lay down their weapons, and give up their bid for statehood, under one condition: they have the right to vote. The most basic aspects of their lives are already decided by Israel, so a request to participate in the decisions being made for them is the true meaning of democracy. This would hardly be a loss due to the fact that no one (including the UN) can grant Palestinians a state except for Israel. Israeli lobbies in the West are too strong and their number one ally in the UN, the US –with its all powerful Security Council veto—will never grant Palestinian statehood if the Israelis are not fully on board. Palestinians have also proven over sixty-five years that they are not strong enough to destroy Israel on their own, even with the help of surrounding Arab states. So, this is their last option. The above initiatives would prove disastrous for Israel on many levels. Because they need Arab parties in the Knesset as a legitimization of their “democracy," a lack of said parties would cause an immediate and uncomfortable scramble. The proof is in the pudding. In 2001, when all three Arab parties were expected to receive fewer than the minimum votes to qualify for any seats in Knesset due to a boycott, vast amounts of Arab voter fraud were used to help all three qualify for at least one seat each. Even though the evidence overwhelmingly points to a large amount of fraud the accounts were quickly dismissed and completely disregarded by Jewish dominated political parties. Meanwhile, Israel would be faced with a decision to make about the West Bank and Gaza: allow Palestinians the right to vote –and due to Arab population in Israel proper and the illegally occupied territories being greater than Jewish population they would outnumber and outvote Jews—or, Jews could not grant them the right to vote, continue to reign over them with no representation and create a genuine apartheid state. Either way, Israel would no longer be the Jewish and democratic state it claims to be. This paradigm, although imaginative, would potentially force Israel back to the negotiating table and end the whole two state matter in minutes. How could it not? Israel's main argument to the West for existence is that it is a fair and genuine democracy. If the above criteria were met, what excuse could possibly remain?
