Labor chief, Arab MK said to resolve row over Balfour Declaration centenary

Labor chairman Avi Gabbay and fellow party member MK Zoheir Bahloul on Wednesday reportedly agreed to put a fight over the Balfour Declaration centenary and the status of Arab Israelis behind them and work to broaden the party’s appeal to voters.

Just a day earlier, Gabbay had blasted Bahloul for claiming that Arab Israelis are “not free.”

The two met Wednesday following a special Knesset session marking the anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and agreed to work together to “achieve the goal of replacing the Netanyahu government,” party sources told Channel 12 (formerly Channel 2).

On Tuesday, Gabbay spoke to Israel Radio a day after Bahloul announced that he would not attend an official Knesset ceremony to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the British government’s landmark expression of approval for the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel.

Referring to his Palestinian identity, Bahloul said he felt it would not be appropriate to participate “when I myself am not free.”

“Labor is a party for all Israelis, Arabs, Jews, secular, religious, but I am against extremist statements,” said Gabbay. “It is not a party of extremists, or those who engage in negative discourse,” Gabbay continued. “There is no doubt that they (Arab Israelis) are free.”

Speaking to Israel Radio after listening to Gabbay’s remarks, Bahloul refused to walk back his comments about the Balfour event.

“I don’t understand what is an ‘extreme statement,’” he said, noting, however, that he respected his party leader and had supported his candidacy.

Bahloul also dismissed reports that he had been told to leave Labor. “No one is pushing me out of the party, but they are finding it hard to contain their opinions. I will decide when to leave.”