Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIsraelis ‘Donate’ Votes To Palestinians In Protest
By Agence France-Presse
Sunday, January 20, 2013 11:38
As a Palestinian living in the West Bank, Mousa Maria has no legal right to vote in Israeli elections this week. But thanks to a protest initiative, an Israeli voter will be casting a ballot for him.
Hes participating in the Real Democracy project, a joint campaign launched by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists in which Israeli citizens donate their ballot to Palestinians.
Maria will be voting through Shahaf Weisbein for the Arab-Israeli party Balad. He asked Weisbein to vote for the party to show support for its embattled member Hanin Zoabi, who faced attempts to disqualify her from the Knesset last month.
The Israelis tried to stop her from being a member of the Knesset and I think that she needs support, and if she knows that some Palestinians support her too it will make her feel stronger, Maria told AFP.
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/20/israelis-donate-votes-to-palestinians-in-protest/
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The Israeli left is really at the forefront of the international progressive movement in so many respects.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Find the party which most closely matches your own views on a range of political, economic and social issues.
On January 22, Israeli voters head to the polls to select a new Knesset. At election stations across the country, citizens will be choosing between a wide range of parties that run the gamut of ideological perspectives.
In the subsequent weeks, the victorious party has the right to attempt forming a coalition with a majority of the parliament's 120 members. Most commentators suggest that current Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhahu's Likud is poised to return him to that post for another term.
Choices range from Likud and Yisrael Beitenu running together in a right-wing list, to Labour, HaTnuah and Yesh Atid - running separately - in the centre-left of the political spectrum. Other parties on the right include religious Jewish parties such as United Torah Judaism and Shas, as well as religious-nationalist parties Otzma LeYisrael and HaBayit HaYehudi.
Arab-Israeli parties include leftist Ta'al and predominantly Islamist Ra'am, running together, as well as Arab nationalist Balad and joint socialist front Hadash. A new progressive Orthodox party is Am Salem. Kadima is also running in the centre. Meretz is a leftist party running on a social justice platform.
The tool above helps to contextualise the parties and the issues that have been central to public discussions about the electoral contest. Answer the questions in the interactive to determine where your views stand along the Israeli political continuum. The topics - touching on security, taxation, religion and other key subjects - frame the current debate.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2013/01/2013114143138119533.html