Some 20% of registered Kadima Party voters are members of the Arab and Druse communities, pointing to the reality that these minority communities will indeed play a pivotal role in the election of Israel’s next prime minister.

Kadima leadership candidate Shaul Mofaz enjoys more support among these communities, and due to much uncertainty in elections polls in these same communities, a sure win for Tzipi Livni in the Kadima primary race is the topic of dispute among Mofaz supporters.

Both Mofaz and Livni election activists are aware of duplicate registrations. Ra’id Amar, a member of the Bedouin community in northern Israel told Israel Radio on Shabbos that he personally signed up 300 Likud members as registered Kadima voters to enable them to vote for Mofaz, explaining his success in the Kadima race will serve to assist Likud premiership candidate Binyamin Netanyahu in his race.

On the other hand, Livni activists in the village of Dir Kana have threatened Kadima voters if they turn their backs on Livni, the NFC website reports. Livni officials in the village explain they meant they will “wipe them [Mofaz supporters] out politically, not literally” regarding the reported threat.

Five Arab municipality leaders met last week with Mofaz, assuring him of their total support in his leadership race. A number of days later, three of the five met with Kadima candidate Meir Sheetrit, promising him their support as well. At the end of the day, no one really knows who the Israeli Arab voters of Kadima will support.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)