After the candidate said she would abstain from voting on conversion therapies, the party chairman demanded that she write a statement in Hebrew and Arabic that would support any legislation for LGBT rights.
Raida Rinawi-Zoabi, Nitzan Horowitz
Photo:
Elad Malka, Oren Ben Hakon
Meretz chairman Nitzan Horowitz rebuked Raida Rinawi-Zoabi in a conversation between the two, and asked her to issue a clarification in Hebrew and Arabic, stating that she would support any legislation for LGBT rights.
Earlier in the day, Rinawi-Zoabi said in an interview with Al-Arab that she would have abstained in the case of a bill banning conversion therapy to LGBT people.
A source in Meretz told Israel Today that Zoabi "was shocked that her words were perceived in this way. It should be remembered that she is new to politics and thought it was true of the support groups she speaks to."
He said, "She was confused by the pressure, wanted to please a certain nuance in the Arab society that he is conservative, and understood the mistake she made.
At this critical point in time, the party notes the wake-up call required for its supporters, and in parallel with its liberal line in the Social Democratic Party will seek to obtain as a mandate the votes of Arab society, thus restoring the sector's voting patterns to the 2019 b.