De Israelische Terreur 827

Should Palestinian citizens vote in Israel's parliamentary elections?
Nimer Sultany, The Electronic Intifada

The recent Israeli elections witnessed a revival of the debate among the Palestinian citizens of Israel concerning the meaning of their participation, or the lack thereof, in the electoral process. The disqualification of Arab parties by the Knesset's Central Elections Committee and the subsequent reversal of the decision by Israel's high court led to two paradoxical results: on the one hand, it strengthened the doubts of some Palestinians vis-a-vis the fairness and effectiveness of the parliamentary presence of Palestinian representatives; on the other hand, it seems that these events mobilized more Palestinians to vote in order to defend their representation. Nevertheless, the steady decline of the Palestinian turnout in the national elections in recent years maintained its momentum: only 53 percent of the eligible Palestinian voters voted in the February elections. On the backdrop of the falling percentage of turnout and the rise of the Zionist far right wing, explicating and assessing the main positions in this debate -- in particular the voices calling for a Palestinian boycott of the Israeli elections -- becomes vital.

Obviously, broaching the question of boycotting the parliamentary elections requires one to touch on a range of issues that are difficult to cover adequately in a brief article. Nonetheless, I believe that viewing the elections as a crutch that cannot be dispensed with in any circumstances (i.e. as a necessity), as some seem to think, is shortsighted. Nor do I believe, as others do, that boycotting the elections is a simple, magical cure for the multitude of difficulties that the Palestinian citizens face inside Israel. These are the two prevailing approaches within the Palestinian community inside Israel.

The proponents of the first approach have used in recent years many slogans to articulate their position. These slogans include: "There is no neutrality in hell," "Not voting is self-marginalization," "I vote so I have a say," and "I vote ... therefore I am." The second approach is a sort of seasonal slogan for groups that are active primarily during the elections.
Lees verder: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10461.shtml