Second rebel coalition MK announces she won’t run in upcoming Knesset elections

Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi announces that she too will not run in the upcoming Knesset elections.

Rinawie Zoabi was not expected to make another run on the Meretz list, where she is considered persona non grata after several votes in recent months that helped down coalition-backed legislation. But in an interview with the Makan public broadcaster, she rules out running on the slate of a majority-Arab party as well.

Rinawie Zoabi was recruited before the previous election by Meretz chairman Nitzan Horowitz, who was looking to reserve a spot on the left-wing party’s list for an Arab woman. But the union never really took off, as Rinawie Zoabi had significant qualms about being part of the ruling coalition over its policies vis a vis the Palestinians.

She was initially tapped to become the next Israeli consul general in Shanghai in a deal meant to keep her out of the Knesset, but the agreement fell through last month amid her break with the coalition.

Rinawie Zoabi’s announcement comes shortly after an identical one from Ra’am MK Mazen Ghanaim, another Arab coalition lawmaker who had been voting against the ruling bloc on key legislation.