Balad (Hebrew: ברית לאומית דמוקרטית‎ Brit Le'umit Demokratit, meaning National Democratic Assembly (at times misnamed "National Democratic Alliance")^[1], referred to by the acronym בל"ד; in Arabic, بلد: home town, التجمع الوطني الديمقرآطي, pronounced al-tajamu' al-watani al-dīmūqrati) is a political party in Israel. The current leader of Balad is Dr Azmi Bishara. The Basic Laws of Israel are a key component of Israels uncodified constitution. The State of Israel has no formal constitution. ... The Jerusalem Law is a common name of Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel passed by the Israeli Knesset on July 30, 1980 (17th Av, 5740). ... The Law of Return (Hebrew: חוק השבות, hok ha-shvut) is Israeli legislation that allows Jews and those with Jewish parents or grandparents, and spouses of the aforementioned, to settle in Israel and gain citizenship. ... The President of the State of Israel (‎, Nesi HaMedina, lit. ... 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Agenda

Balad is an Arab nationalist ^[2][1] political party whose stated purpose is 'for the creation of two states based on Pre-1967 borders,' which would include the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem to be part of a Palestinian state. ^[2] Balad also wants "to transform Israel from a Jewish state into a democratic state, a state with equality for all of its citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, and to eliminate all state institutions and laws which discriminate against Arabs in Israel. ^[3]. Balad describes itself as a 'democratic progressive national party for the Palestinian citizens of Israel.' ^[4] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation). ... An Arab (Arabic: ) is a member of a complexly defined ethnic group who identifies as such on the basis of one or more of either genealogical, political, or linguistic grounds. ...

Balad has, since its creation, objected to every proposed state budget submitted on the grounds that it discriminates against the Arab population.

History

Balad was formed and registered as a political party in 1995, by a group of young Israeli Arab intellectuals headed by Dr. Azmi Bishara. ^[5] In the 1999 elections, Balad competed on a joint ticket with the Arab Renewal Movement (Ta'al), headed by MK Ahmad Tibi. They won two seats. However, a request was submitted that same year for the list to disband, and did so after the Knesset approved the request. Bishara remained its only member. Elections for the 15th Knesset and for the prime ministership were held in Israel on 17 May 1999. ... Taal, or the Arab Movement for Renewal, is a single-member Israeli parliamentary group that was founded by MK Ahmad Tibi after he left Balad during the 14th Knesset. ... Ahmad Tibi, Israeli Arab politician. ...

Bishara was the first Israeli Arab to stand for prime minister, competing against Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak in 1999. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...   (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ (without niqqud: בנימין נתניהו), Hebrew transliteration written in English: Binyamin Netanyahu, nicknamed Bibi) (born October 21, 1949, Tel Aviv) was the 9th Prime Minister of Israel and is a leading figure in the Likud party. ... Ehud Barak (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בָּרָק) (born Ehud Brog on February 12, 1942) is an Israeli politician, former Prime Minster, and current Minister of Defense and leader of Israels Labor Party. ...

Balad received three seats in the 16th Knesset, filled by Bishara, Wasil Taha, and Dr Jamal Zahalka. Elections for the 16th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 January 2003. ... Wasil Taha (born April 24, 1952) is an Israeli Arab member of the Knesset. ... Dr. Jamal Zahalka (Arabic: ‎, Hebrew: ‎, born January 11, 1955) is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset. ...

In the elections for the 17th Knesset in 2006, the Balad list won three seats, which are again occupied by Bishara, Taha, and Zahalka. The Elections for the 17th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 March 2006, following an agreement between the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and the new Leader of the Israel Labour Party, Amir Peretz. ...

Allegations against Balad

In 2002, party leader Azmi Bishara was indicted for "knowingly assisted Israeli citizens to enter Syria without approval of the Minister of Interior" ^[6] and for speeches "made at two different gatherings that were reported by the media, one in Umm al-Fahem marking the passage of 33 years since the Six Day War, and the other in Kardaha, Syria, marking the first anniversary of the death of Syria’s President, Hafez al-Asad" praising Hezbollah. ^[7] The trial was however cancelled, after The High Court of Justice ruled in favor of a petition submitted by MK Azmi Bishara where he protested that his speeches were protected by legal immunity, which is granted to all Knesset members in order to allow them to fulfill their duties. His parliamentary immunity was immediately restored. For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... In legal parlance, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute. ... The Supreme Court (Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ... Immunity confers a status on a person or body that makes that person or body free from otherwise legal obligations such as, for example, liability for damages or punishment for criminal acts. ... Type Unicameral Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik, Kadima since May 4, 2006 Deputy Speaker Majalli Wahabi, Kadima since May 4, 2006 Members 120 Political groups Kadima Labour-Meimad Shas Likud Last elections March 28, 2006 Meeting place Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel Web site www. ... Parliamentary immunity is a system in which members of the parliament are granted partial immunity from prosecution. ...

Three Members of Knesset of the Balad party - Azmi Bishara, Wasil Taha, and Jamal Zahalka visited Syria in September 2006. They returned to Israel on 16 September 2006, saying they plan to return to Syria "if necessary." A police investigation will be opened against them as well. Member of Knesset Azmi Bishara, head of the Balad party, told: "Israel won't tell us with which Arabs we can forge ties." ^[8] This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Wasil Taha (born April 24, 1952) is an Israeli Arab member of the Knesset. ... Dr. Jamal Zahalka (Arabic: ‎, Hebrew: ‎, born January 11, 1955) is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On April 22, 2007, Bishara resigned from the Knesset via the Israeli Embassy in Cairo following a police investigation into his alleged assistance of Lebanon during its war against Israel^[3], and various other criminal charges including money laundering. He was said to be "considering staying abroad because he feared a long term jail sentence and an end to his political career." ^[4] Nickname: Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 214 km²  (82. ...

Party ban controversy

Balad received a great deal of Israeli and international attention when the Israeli parliament's Central Elections Committee banned the party from running in national elections in 2003, claiming it did not respect Israel's legally-mandated status as a Jewish state and that its leader supported terrorism ^[9]. The move to ban Balad was initiated by Michael Kleiner, the leader of the right-wing Herut Party, who alleged that Balad was "a cover-up for illegal activity" and that it "supports terror organizations, identifies with the enemy and acts against Israel as a Jewish and democratic state." ^[10] Michael Kleiner Michael Kleiner (born April 4, 1948 in Munich, Germany) is an Israeli politician and leader of Herut: The National Movement. ... Herut (Hebrew: חרות Freedom) was the political party of the Revisionist Zionist movement in Israel. ...

The Election Committee voted by a one-vote margin to disqualify Balad and MK Azmi Bishara. The Gush Shalom activist group criticized the decision saying it introduced into the committee the 'aggressive, predatory and racist attitudes of the majority of the extreme right' who they believe favor banning all Arab MKs. Bishara personally responded to the Election Committee's charges that he supported Hezbollah by saying, "I believe that a people living under occupation [have] the right to fight against it, but I never called on the Palestinians to embark on an armed struggle against Israel. I never supported violent activity." To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The Elections Committee had also voted to ban Ahmad Tibi of the Ta'al party who had formed an electoral alliance with the left wing Hadash coalition. ^[11]. In the end, the bans of both parties were overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court. ^[12] Supreme Court Justice Mishael Cheshin told the election committee that Bishara's past expressions of support for Hezbollah in Lebanon had angered him, although he voted to allow him to run in the elections because "Israel's democracy is strong and can tolerate irregular cases", and thought that there was insufficient evidence for the ban. ^[13] Hadash (חדש) is a far left wing, largely Arab [1], popular front group in Israel made up of the Communist Party of Israel and other left-leaning political groups. ... The Supreme Court (Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ...

Notes

1. ^ (HAA), (JER)
2. ^ (BAL) "The National Democratic Assembly (NDA) is a democratic party representing the Arab citizens in Israel, a national Arab patriotic Palestinian party." - A translation of the opening sentence of the Hebrew version of the NDA platform
3. ^ McCarthy, Rory. The Guardian: Wanted, for crimes against the state. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
4. ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152849116&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• (BAL) The Balad website in Hebrew. "המצע של בל"ד". <http://www.balad.org/index.php?id=244>. Accessed March 11 2007.
• (HAA) Haaretz English Edition. "Azmi Bishara - National Democratic Alliance". Israel Elections 2003. <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtElection.jhtml?itemNo=243455&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y/>. Accessed March 11 2007.
• (JER) The Jerualem Post Internet Edition. A biographical piece about Azmi Bishara. Israel 99 Election Primer. <http://info.jpost.com/1999/Supplements/Elections99/candidates/bishara2.shtml>. Accessed March 11 2007.

See also

• Azmi Bishara
• List of Knesset members
• List of political parties in Israel
• Arab Knesset members

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... // (Blue = coalition parties, red = opposition parties) 1This title, called in Hebrew ממלא מקום ראש הממשלה (Memale Mekom Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... Political parties in Israel: Israels political system is based on proportional representation which allows for a multi-party system with numerous parties, in which a single party usually has no chance of gaining power by itself, forcing the parties to cooperate and form coalition governments. ... There have been Arab members of the Knesset since the first Knesset Assembly, elected in 1949. ...

External links

• Official site of Balad
• Arabs48 News paper affiliated with Balad (Arabic)
• Haaretz article explaining the allegations and counter-allegations
• The International Committee for the Defence of Azmi Bishara
• Ha'aretz Profile Page
• Answers.com on Balad
• Knesset description page
• Slate article on Election Committee's ban