Samah Salaime: The ‘Arab vote’ is an offer of trust. Why are Jews rejecting it?

Welcome to “A Mandatory Listen,” a new weekly podcast in which The Times of Israel deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan asks the big questions facing Israel and the Jewish people.

For this seventh episode in the new series, we speak with Palestinian activist and writer Samah Salaime to hear why this past election was so significant for the Arab Israeli voter.

WATCH the full episode here:

Salaime is a longtime contributor to the +972 Magazine, where she focuses on feminism and Arab-Jewish relations.

She was born in the northern town of Tur’an located between Haifa and Tiberius and moved to the mixed Jewish-Arab oasis of Neve Shalom/ Wahat al-Salam in 2000, where she raised her three boys.

Salaime, a social worker by education and training, was a fellow at the prestigious Mandel School for Educational Leadership and, among other accolades, was awarded the Rappaport Prize for Longstanding Achievement in 2020.

In this post-election period, in which the Arab vote translated into an unprecedented combined 19 mandates for the Joint List and Ra’am, Salaime provides nuanced insight into what drew Arab Israeli citizens to the ballot box this time and the parties for whom they voted.

In this tolerant, free-flowing conversation, the pair voice frustration with Israeli society’s longtime status quo of mutual distrust and wonder aloud about another way forward.

A Mandatory Listen podcast episodes are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.

Check out last week’s episode:

Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks

LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.

Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;

Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.

As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.

CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CHOOSE YOUR BOOK Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this

If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.