ISRAEL: Haneen Zoabi, a prominent Arab Israeli lawmaker drums up support for her mayoral campaign in Nazareth. If elected, Zoabi will be Israel's first female Arab mayor.

Record ID: 397900

  • Title: ISRAEL: Haneen Zoabi, a prominent Arab Israeli lawmaker drums up support for her mayoral campaign in Nazareth. If elected, Zoabi will be Israel's first female Arab mayor.
  • Date: 10th October 2013
  • Summary: CLOSE OF STICKER ON SHOULDER READING (Arabic): 'NOW IS THE TIME' VARIOUS OF BOOKLETS PROMOTING HANEEN ZOABI MORE OF T-SHIRT AND BOOKLET STAND GREEN HANEEN ZOABI CAMPAIGN BANNERS CROWDS AT CAMPAIGN RALLY ZOABI IN THE FRONT ROW
  • Embargoed: 25th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA60XGLQLNL9YAHUB7Z9NE9PDZ6
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Nazareth residents gathered to attend a mayoral elections rally for female Arab Israeli lawmaker Haneen Zoabi.
    If elected, Zoabi would make political history here, as Israel's first Arab female mayor.
    Zoabi supporters handed out pamphlets to people at the rally, which took place on Wednesday (October 9) night.
    Zoabi, a 44 year-old Israeli Arab lawmaker, announced in late August that she was joining the race for mayor of her home town of Nazareth, challenging current mayor Ramiz Jaraisi and his deputy Ali Salam.
    During the rally Zoabi took to the podium to speak on pressing issues she believes the city faces and promised to address them if given the chance as mayor.
    Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Zoabi said that by running for mayor she is challenging the societal and cultural norms in the area.

    "There is a view that voting for a man is better and safer. Some think, maybe the woman if we vote for her she might be better but she might not be able to succeed. The fact that there is a woman running as the mayor for the first time is cultural, social and political message that brings about change despite winning or not. I believe we have the skills and means to win and bring about the change which Nazareth wants, Nazareth is in need of change,'' she said.
    The streets of Nazareth reflected the mayoral hopeful's push to be elected, with posters and cars driving past promoting her campaign.
    Some residents say she has all the abilities to be the city's mayor.

    "She is educated, cultured and ambitious. As far as I am concerned if she has the ability, why not let her be the mayor and may God increase those who are like her," said local resident, Falah El-Jundi.
    Zoabi, the only female member of parliament in a party representing Israel's Arab minority, is a vociferous critic of Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
    In 2012, Israel's parliament suspended Zoabi for sailing with a flotilla, that challenged the Israeli blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and was intercepted in a deadly raid by Israeli commandos.
    Nazareth is Israel's largest Arab city with a population of some 65,000. It is revered by Christians as the place where Jesus Christ grew up. Municipal elections across the country will take place on October 22.
    Most of the Arabs who make up about 20 percent of the Israeli population are related to or descended from Palestinians who fled or were driven away in a 1948 war over Israel's establishment.
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