In a vote held in the Arab town of Shfaram in Israel’s north on Friday, Hadash Party members chose Knesset member Ayman Odeh to once again serve as party head. Odeh is also expected to head the Joint Arab List.
Coming in second in the vote was Knesset member Aida Touma-Sliman.
In a statement following his election as party chief, Odeh said, “Whoever wants us divided and weak, will have us strong and united.”
Balad Party delegates convened in Nazareth on Saturday to choose their representatives for Knesset. The delegates chose Dr. Mtanes Shihadeh to replace outgoing Knesset member Jamal Zahalka as party head.
Meanwhile, three Arab-Israeli lawmakers met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, Saturday, according to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.
Ta’al Party leader Ahmad Tibi and Joint Arab List members Taleb Abu Arar and Masud Ghnaim were in Turkey in an effort to help free three Arab-Israelis detained in the country for trying to undergo illegal liver transplants there.
In their meeting, Erdoğan thanked the lawmakers “for serving the Palestinian people and their interests in the legislative body against the oppression of the Tel Aviv government in [the] Gaza [Strip].
Yisrael Beytenu Party leader Avigdor Lieberman responded to Erdoğan’s comments by saying that “with this kosher stamp of approval, it is clear that their place is in the parliament in Ramallah and not the Israeli Knesset.”
