In their vote against the agreement with the Emirates, the members of the list proved that they are not only against war - but also against peace and against any Arab country interested in relations with Israel • Opinion
MKs Ahmad Tibi and Ayman Odeh from the joint list
Photography:
Oren Ben Hakon
With the approval in the Knesset of the historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the phase of normalization and the construction of connections and business and social connections between the citizens of Israel and the citizens of the United Arab Emirates begins.
The latter are very surprising in their positive approach to peace and in their united stand behind their leadership.
The vast majority of Israelis also welcome the agreement.
The exceptions are members of the joint list, who have come under sharp criticism in recent days for the fact that half of them were absent from the vote on the law to lower the academic tuition fee - due to offsets they made with coalition members - but actually made sure to vote against the agreement.
Did not abstain or were absent - stood to vote against the peace agreement with the UAE.
Netanyahu: "Power brings us closer to Arab states that stand with us on one front with Iran" // Photo: Knesset Channel
It is a mistake that history will still prove unforgivable.
The explicit departure of the members of the joint against the agreement could severely damage the image of Arab citizens of Israel in the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries, which could open the doors to Arab citizens of Israel, as Jordan did when it received and funded the studies of thousands of Arab students.
In their vote against the agreement, the members of the joint demonstrated that they are not only against war, but also against peace, and to a large extent - against any Arab country that is interested in a normal and friendly relationship with Israel.
In another era, during the Rabin government, Arab Knesset members enthusiastically voted for the peace agreement with Jordan, praising King Hussein, forging personal ties and receiving scholarships from the royal family for thousands of Arab students studying in Jordan.
The current opposition to the peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates raises questions, especially in light of the fact that in the last two decades, Arab MKs have been in personal contact with several Arab rulers, and have even reached media meetings with them, including Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, Syrian ruler Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar. , In addition to their close ties with the rulers of Qatar - from which they managed to raise millions to build a home stadium for the people of Sakhnin, and although Qatar has no official relations with Israel, the stadium in Sakhnin is named after its capital - repulsive.
It is clear to everyone that one of the catalysts for rapprochement between Israel and the Gulf states is the Iranian threat, and even the members of the joint list are not interested in recognizing this.
Following a vote against the agreement with the Emirates, the chairman of the joint list, MK Ayman Odeh, said in a television interview with the Iran-funded Al-Mayadin channel: "They are trying to impose on us the principle that Iran is the enemy, and we will not accept it."
Here the big question arises: Is everything against the state, we are for it;
Is everything in favor of the state, we are against it?
One can take a stand against the government and criticize its policies, this is the basis for partisan and parliamentary work.
But in this move the joint vote against the state - not against the government.