Arab Democratic Party (Israel)

The Arab Democratic Party ( _he. מפלגה דמוקרטית ערבית, "Miflaga Demokratit Aravit"; _ar. ألحزب الديمقراطي العربي, "al-Hizb al-Dimuqrati al-Arabi") commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acroynym Mada (Hebrew: מד"ע) was a political party in Israel. Since the late 1990s it has been a faction within the United Arab List.

Background

The party was formed towards the end of the term of the eleventh Knesset when Abdulwahab Darawshe broke away from the Alignment (the fore-runner of today's Labour Party) to create his own faction in protest at the party's policy on the First Intifada. At the time of its founding, the party was the only solely Israeli-Arab one in the Knesset (although the Progressive List for Peace's only MK was an Israeli Arab, the party also had Jewish membership), and the first since the demise of the original United Arab List in the 1981 elections.

In the 1988 elections the party just crossed the electoral threshold of 1%, winning 1.2% of the vote and one seat, taken by Darawshe, and was again the only Israeli-Arab party to win a seat.

The 1992 elections saw the party win two seats, though it remained the only Israeli Arab party with parliamentary representation.

For the 1996 elections, the party ran in an alliance with the new United Arab List under the name Mada-Ra'am (the acronyms of each party). The alliance was successful, winning two seats. The party was also joined in the Knesset by a new Israeli Arab party, Balad, which had run in an alliance with Hadash.

After the 1996 elections, the party became a faction within the United Arab List, a position which it retains today. Arab Democratic Party deputy chairman Taleb el-Sana is today the United Arab List chairman.

External links

* [http://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=21 Party history] Knesset website
* [http://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=9 Mada-Ra'am] Knesset website