On Wednesday evening, February 11, the Hadash-Arab Parties Joint List launched its Hebrew-language campaign in “Hagada Hasmalit” (“Left Bank”) Alternative Cultural Center in central Tel Aviv and unveiled its slogan: “My answer to racism.” Displayed behind the chairmen of the four parties on the list, the phrase was set against a photo of graffiti reading, “Arabs out,” one of many anti-Arab hate crimes that have become commonplace in recent years.

Hadash candidate Ayman Odeh at the press conference at “Hagada Hasmalit” in Tel-Aviv, February 11, 2015. (Photo: Activestills)

Ayman Odeh, secretary of the Arab-Jewish Hadash front and the head of the joint slate, comprised of three Arab parties and Hadash, spoke along with Masud Ganaim of Ra’am, Jamal Zahalka of Balad, and Ahmed Tibi of Ta’al. Odeh presented the Joint List’s platform as one advancing equality and social justice. He said that one of the main elements of the platform is the issue of rights of the national Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel.

“We deserve civil and national equality,” Odeh said. “We have heard a lot about social justice. We have been fighting for it for decades.” Odeh spoke first on Wednesday evening, saying that the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has led to an unprecedented campaign of incitement against the Arab public, expressed by violence in the streets, and by increasing institutional racism and discrimination in the country. “Those who do not want us in the Knesset, who raised the electoral threshold in order to keep us out, will discover that we have become a great political power.” He continued: “We appeal to all the disadvantaged in Israel and promise that, in the coming Knesset, we will represent all of you. A joint list is our answer to racism.”

The newly-elected leader of Hadash said that, even though not every Israeli will vote for them, the list represents everyone and is reaching out to the weak sectors of society, including Mizrahi Jews and Ethiopians. Narrowing the gaps between Arabs and Jews and encouraging the employment of Arab women is a top priority, he added. Odeh also addressed the wider political landscape, lamenting that in Israeli society that those who support the Jewish nation-state bill are considered the mainstream, while people who are pro-Democracy are considered radical. “One state for all Jews is considered centrist, while one state for all citizens is considered radical.”

All four men expressed confidence that the Joint List will win 15 mandates, noting that if voter turnout in the Arab sector is at least as high as Jewish turnout (67 percent in the last election), then they are guaranteed 15 Knesset seats. Most polls currently have the List getting between 12 and 13 seats.

The second Hadash candidate in the Joint List, Aida Touma-Sliman said that women’s rights are an integral part of the slate’s platform, and that she will treat every issue that comes up in the Knesset — not just specifically women’s issues — with “gender glasses.” The launch of Joint List’s Arabic-language campaign will take place this weekend in Nazareth.