Pioneer list for Peace Party

Pioneer list for Peace Party was formed shortly before the 1984 elections by some Jewish and Arab people from radical groups who had a shared vision to the situation of Arabs living in Israel and the Palestinian problem. From Arab side, the primary core of the party was made of combined group consisting of people with progressive tendencies. At the top of the groups, there was a group from the town of Nazareth that split from Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) due to the intellectual, political and organizational reasons in 1981. Second group was from Um Alfahm city that split from sons of the Land in 1984 (due to the movement preventing from of participation in parliamentary elections in that year). Mohammad Miary (one of the founders and leaders of the movement of the earth in the Sixties), priest Riah Abulasal, Walid Sadeq a member of the Knesset (formerly of the Mapam and now from Meretz) and Ahmad Darwish are the most prominent Arabic characters in the party pioneer list for peace. Of the Jews' side, the alternative organization led by Matiyahoo Pillid and Avery and radiating element of the Chilean movement, formed the initial nucleus of the party. It is notable that alternative organizations and Chilean movement were both including the radical leftism.
After the party's formation, a 21-member central committee and a 7-member Bureau were formed and a political program was presented. The most important points raised in the program include: full equality of Jews and Arabs in Israel; acceptance of mutual self-determination for the Jewish people in Israel and Arabs in Palestine; Israel's full withdrawal from all occupied lands in the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem, the mutual recognition between the Israeli government and the Palestinian government that will be formed after the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the occupied territories, in these areas; to recognize the PLO as the sole official representative of the Palestinian people and talking to the organization in order to achieve peace between the two nations; immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon.
Party pioneer list for peace, to participate in the election of 1984, provided a 120 Arab - Jew member of electoral list that the first and second ones were Mohammad Miary and Mattya Hubilid. In the list, Arabs' share was 51%, and 49% were Jewish. Some tried to prevent the party's participation in the elections, and their excuse was that the party is enemy of the Zionist and the real purpose of it is denial of the Jewish nature of the Israeli government; also one of the founders of the movement "disbanded the Earth" (i.e. Muhammad Miary) is located at the top of this the party. Central Committee of elections decided to prevent the party to participate in elections, but the Supreme Court declared committee's decision unlawful and void. In that election, the party won two seats in the Knesset that Miary and Mattyahoo occupied the two seats and in the next elections (1988), only Miary entered the Knesset, but in the last elections, the party failed to gain necessary extent for the entry into the Knesset.
Soon after that, on the one hand, coordination and integration between the two Arabic and Jewish branches of the party and on the other hand coordination within each branch broke and the party was faced with internal political and organizational differences. The differences in 1986 resulted in 30 prominent Arab members of political office, who were mostly of the Almosalas area to quit the Party. Also in 1988, more Jewish leadership staff withdrew the party and over time rest of Jewish leaders and many Arab founders left the party. Since the early nineties, "the pioneer list for peace" party turned into purely Arab party leading by the city of Nazareth. In mid-1994, a serious conflict happened between Mohammad Miary, party leader, and his followers. Leadership of the Party had accused Miary for having sharp positions against the Oslo agreement, the policies of the Palestinian Authority and cooperation of the party with Hadash and Arabs with Jews and trying to create a new political entity with the participation of a group of like-minded of him (according to claim of Aziz Shehadeh, party spokesman ).
The thought that is ruling the party now emphasizes on the Palestinian identity and knows it as the shelter and legitimacy factor of the party presence among the Arabs residing in Israel and distinguishing element of the party from Rakah and other political currents. In terms of political program, like all Arabs residing in Israel, the party stresses on the need for civil and ethnic rights of Arabs. The program is based on two fundamental bases: total equality between Arabs and Jews in Israel and acceptance of the Arabs as an ethnic minority and creating an independent Palestinian state in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem after the Israeli withdrawal from them. Party confirms the Oslo agreement and it has strong ties with the Palestinian Authority.
Socially, pioneer list for Peace party is representative of the bourgeois classes formed in the seventies, and leadership is made of intellectuals, self-employed and business owners. Stressing on the Palestinian identity, desire of some people to integrate in political and economic activities in Israel and supporting some Arab local leaders are forming factors of the electoral base of the party.
Terms of organization the Party has several institutions, but these institutions are not sustainable and their activity is not very noticeable.
The number of seats of the party in the Knesset in different periods: the eleventh Knesset (1984) 2 seats; the twelfth Knesset (1988) 1 seat.
Arab Democratic Party
Arab Democratic Party is recently formed party in Arab areas of Israel and it is the first party in the Knesset, which had pure Arabic nature from the first because Rakah party despite the dominance of its Arab identity and struggle for the realization of the aspirations of the Palestinians, in terms of intellectuality and membership, was a transnational party capable of acceptance of Jews and Arabs. Party pioneer list for Peace since formation in 1984 and till a few years later was based on a strategic partnership of Arabs and Jews and only on early Nineties it turned into a merely Arab party. The party was fromed shortly before the parliamentary elections in 1988 by Abdul Vahab Draawsheh (member of Knesset). Drawsheh was a member of the Israeli Labor Party and one of the representatives of the party in the Knesset, but in early 1988, he withdrew the party as a protest against the policies of Yitzhak Rabin, Defense Minister, on the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories (intifada). Many of the heads and members of Arab local councils in different areas, some Muslim and Christian clerics and some industrialists participated in the party's foundation. The party was formed in a situation that the parties Rakah (or Hadash) and pioneer list for peace put one another under severe advertising attacks to attract Arabs' votes. The Party in terms of acceptance of members and goals introduced itself as an Arab Palestinian party and replacement for Rakah and Israeli parties and meanwhile it has announced its readiness to participate in the political life of Israel and efforts to affect it. In the 1988 elections, the party won a seat in Knesset, but in recent elections (1992) it won two seats in the Knesset, which are now occupied by Abdul Vahab Drawsheh (party chief) and Talab al-Sanea.
Arab Democratic Party program in the field of politics with Rakah and pioneer list for peace parties have no significant difference and in the field of civil and ethnic rights of the Arabs, the party emphasizes on the need to restore the rights like other Arab parties. Political program of Democratic Party Arab can be summarized as follows: Domestically, the struggle for full equality of Arabs living in Israel with the Jews and their acceptance as ethnic minority and ending all forms of oppression and racial discrimination. On national issues, fair settlement of the Palestinian problem; the establishment of an independent Palestinian state after the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, and to continue to negotiate with the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole official representative of the Palestinian people. Democratic Party Arab heavily emphasizes on the need for unification of all Arab political groups and collective participation in Knesset elections, and it hopes that the Arabs can obtain the number of seats in the Knesset (proportional to population) to have powerful tool for put pressure on Israeli government devices to achieve their civil and ethnic rights.
Democratic Party of Arabs in terms of social identity, in addition to representativeness of a part of the heads of the tribes and clans and elders of the clan, is representative of the newly formed and growing class of bourgeois in Arabs society of Israel or more precisely, it is representative of that part of Arab society who are willing to strengthen their Palestinian Arab identity and to participate in political and economic activities in Israel. In the last parliamentary elections, the party enjoyed broad support of local and Arab focuses and followers of the Islamic movement and by putting the name of a nomad nominee (called Taleb Sanea) in the second electoral list it was able to have more nomad votes.
Arab Democratic Party in terms of organizational is not a united institution and this party is and before being the party of institutions. The main force and the source of mobility in the party is the party's founder and its leader, Abdul Vahab Drawsheh. It is notable that many members of founder board of the party despite the short time passing from party establishment, quit the party and other members were replaced easily.
The number of seats of the party in the Knesset: Twelfth Knesset (1988) one seat, the thirteenth Knesset (1992) 2 seats.