A news item last week that indicated Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman – who together lead the 2-party bloc that holds the most strength in the ruling coalition government – have agreed to raise the threshold in order for a party to be elected to the parliament (Knesset) was seen by many Israelis as a move designed to counter what many oppose as the nuisance of having too many parties present in the legislature. The threshold is currently 2%. To Israeli-Arabs, it is seen as a calculated attempt to push their sector from the government. According to local media, Arab lawmakers are now planning a response, including a mass campaign to increase Arab presence in municipal governments and combining party lists in quest for a single party with greater representation than the combined totals of the several Arab parties presently sitting in the Knesset. The move has been branded as anti-democratic and even racist by left-wing and Arab politicians. Others, though, support the move as a positive improvement for the quality of governing by limiting small, single-interest parties.
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