Journalist and TV presenter Lucy Aharish spoke with Judy Shalom Nir Mozes on her program on 103FM and commented on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rapprochement with the Arab population, ahead of the 24th Knesset elections. “Netanyahu showed the lack of backbone of the center-left. He delegitimized the Arabs, so the center-left said they would not talk about the Arabs until Netanyahu spoke. They just lowered their heads,” Aharish said. In addition, Aharish revealed whether she intends to run for Knesset in the upcoming elections.
What do you think about the revolution that Bibi made with the Arab public? Suddenly Bibi is in love?
“What is Bibi in love? It is a love story on both sides. I see that there is also a love that flourishes among the Arab sector towards Netanyahu.”
Benjamin Netanyahu in Nazareth (Photo: Screenshot from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Facebook page)They probably want the hug from the establishment at the end.
“The Arabs want recognition and they have been looking for it for many years. You and I have had a lot of conversations about this, especially in the last 6.5 years since the same sentence that Netanyahu issued on election night in 2015 – ‘The Arabs are moving in huge numbers to the polls.’ If you remember, when you and I had the talks, I said, ‘There are so many seats thrown on the floor among the Arab sector that the left does not even bother to pick them up, not only does it not bother to pick them up, it does not campaign on them at all.’ “Netanyahu’s move is a politically brilliant move. Yesterday he said it in a wavy voice: ‘I address the Arabs, without shame.’ He said earlier this week, ‘Yes, I want your voice, I want the voice of the Arabs.'”
Do you think the Arabs in their desire for love and recognition, they fall into this trap?
“I do not think they are falling into the trap, I think there are changes currently happening in Arab society, and they are happening in the last year, and people refused to pay attention to it. The changes happened after the first round of elections. For those who do not remember, the Arab public We are not going to do anything with the seats we are giving you, we will not vote for you. I mean, if you are not going to recommend a candidate to the president, do not contact us at all. “The leaders within the Arab public understood this, and then said, ‘Okay, we will go round and recommend B. And Round C. “What did the left do in return? He did not address them. Bnei Gantz had a hard time in three election campaigns saying the word Arabs. He had a hard time saying that the joint would support the outside world in one vote. The shame Netanyahu spoke about, saying: ‘I am looking for The Arab bloc without shame ‘, it is solely of the center-left bloc. Netanyahu showed the center-left in his nakedness, their lies, their lack of backbone to come and say for five years to the Arab public -‘ Yes we want you on our lists, yes We want your voice, yes we want to act. “What did the center-left bloc do? He went. Netanyahu de-legitimized the Arabs, the center-left bloc lowered its head, and He said: “We will not talk about the Arabs until Netanyahu talks about the Arabs.”
Do you think that a minute after the election Netanyahu will look at them?
“I think he is no longer looking at them. He already threw Mansour Abbas under the wheels yesterday. The Likud has issued a statement that they do not intend to lean, neither on Mansour Abbas nor on the joint list.”
Are you being approached to get into politics?
“Obviously”.
And it seems to me not?
“Nice. A lot of people approached me, except for the Likud and the common denominator.”
And you do not see any new Arab party going on?
“It will happen, but not right now. I think Ayman Odeh missed his opportunity five years ago. He didn’t really want to bring in a new line.”
He was also against peace with the Emirates.
“This thing of coming and going against the peace agreements with the emirates, what are you doing? Israeli Arabs, they are not interested in the peace agreements with the emirates and Morocco, they are not interested in what is happening with the Palestinians in the territories, they are interested in life itself and what happens to them on a daily basis. They have violence inside the streets. “