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<font size=3>Israel poll ban for Arab parties <br>
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<b>Tibi and other Arab MPs have opposed Israel's aerial and ground
assault on the Gaza Strip [<a href="file:%20EPA" eudora="autourl">File:
EPA</a>]<br><br>
</b>Two Arab political parties have been disqualified from running in
Israel's parliamentary elections on February 10 after they were accused
of not recognising the country's right to exist.<br><br>
The panel voted on Monday to back a motion filed by two right-wing
parties which also accused the National Democratic Assembly (also known
as Balad) and Ra'am-Ta'al of incitement and supporting
"terrorist" groups.<br><br>
Ahmed Tibi and Jamal Zahalka, who lead the two Arab rivals in parliament,
joined together in condemning Monday's decision.<br><br>
"It was a political trial led by a group of fascists and racists who
are willing to see the Knesset without Arabs and want to see the country
without Arabs," Tibi said.<br><br>
He said that his Ra'am-Ta'al party intended to petition the supreme court
about the decision.<br><br>
"If the members of the panel had weapons, they would have shot us in
the head," Tibi said.<br><br>
<b>'Fifth column'<br><br>
</b>At a recent Knesset session called to discuss the Israeli assault on
the Gaza Strip, Arab MPs condemned the conflict, which has now killed
more than 900 Palestinians and injured thousands of others.<br><br>
<b>IN DEPTH</b> <br>
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"As a humane person, I oppose targeting civilians wherever they are.
Naturally, however, every time an Arab is injured it hurts me more
because we are members of the same nation," Tibi told the Knesset.
<br><br>
In response, Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party
which petitioned for the Arab parties to be barred, described the Arab
MPs as a "fifth column" clandestinely undermining the
nation.<br><br>
Tibi responded by calling him a "fascist", while Talab al-Sana,
another Arab MP, was removed from the meeting after repeatedly
interrupting Lieberman's speech. <br><br>
Zahalka had boycotted the Knesset session saying he was not willing to
take part in a "celebration of death". <br><br>
The two parties are the only exclusively Arab blocs in the Israeli
Knesset, however the decision does not effect Arabs in predominantly
Jewish parties or the communist party.<br><br>
Together they hold seven of the 120 parliamentary seats.<br><br>
About one-fifth of Israel's seven million citizens are Arabs with full
citizenship rights, but have suffered due to discrimination and
poverty.<br><br>
Most are descended from the 160,000 Palestinians who remained after the
creation of Israel in 1948 and the war on Gaza has heightened tensions
between the communities. <br><br>
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