Abdulwahab Darawshe
Encyclopedia
Abdulwahab Darawshe is an Israeli Arab former politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for the Alignment
and the Arab Democratic Party
between 1984 and 1999.
during the Mandate era, Darawshe studied at Nazareth
High School, before graduating from the University of Haifa
with a degree in education and history. He worked as a teacher and headmaster, also serving as a national supervisor for the Ministry of Education
, a member of the board of the Teachers' Union's central committee, a member of the Education Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence's board, and chairman of the Arab Association for Education and Grants in Nazareth.
Darawshe was first elected to the Knesset on the Alignment's list in 1984
. On 15 February 1988 he left the alliance to found his own single member faction, which was named the Arab Democratic Party on 7 March.
His new party won 1.2% of the vote in the November 1988 election
, just crossing the electoral threshold (1%), and winning a single seat, taken by Darawshe. He retained his seat again in the 1992 elections
, after which the party gained a seat. During his third term in the Knesset, Darawshe chaired the cubcommittee for Arab Education and the subcommittee for the Advancement of the Status of Arab Women.
For the 1996 elections
Darawshe's party ran a joint list with the United Arab List
, winning four seats, with Darawshe chairing the alliance's parliamentary group. He lost his seat in the 1999 elections. For the 2009 elections
he was placed 119th on the United Arab List-Ta'al
list.
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
for the Alignment
Alignment (political party)
The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party...
and the Arab Democratic Party
Arab Democratic Party (Israel)
The Arab Democratic Party commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acroynym Mada was a political party in Israel. Since the late 1990s it has been a faction within the United Arab List.-Background:...
between 1984 and 1999.
Biography
Born in IksalIksal
Iksal is an Arab local council in northern Israel, about southeast of Nazareth. It has an area of 9,000 dunams and a population of 11,700 primarily Muslim inhabitants...
during the Mandate era, Darawshe studied at Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
High School, before graduating from the University of Haifa
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
with a degree in education and history. He worked as a teacher and headmaster, also serving as a national supervisor for the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Education is the branch of government charged with overseeing public education institutions in Israel. The political head of the department is the Minster of Education, currently Gideon Sa'ar....
, a member of the board of the Teachers' Union's central committee, a member of the Education Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence's board, and chairman of the Arab Association for Education and Grants in Nazareth.
Darawshe was first elected to the Knesset on the Alignment's list in 1984
Israeli legislative election, 1984
Elections for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977...
. On 15 February 1988 he left the alliance to found his own single member faction, which was named the Arab Democratic Party on 7 March.
His new party won 1.2% of the vote in the November 1988 election
Israeli legislative election, 1988
Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party...
, just crossing the electoral threshold (1%), and winning a single seat, taken by Darawshe. He retained his seat again in the 1992 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1992
Elections for the thirteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 23 June 1992. The result was a victory for the left, led by Yitzhak Rabin's Labor Party, though their win was at least partially due to several small right-wing parties narrowly failing to cross the electoral threshold and thus effectively...
, after which the party gained a seat. During his third term in the Knesset, Darawshe chaired the cubcommittee for Arab Education and the subcommittee for the Advancement of the Status of Arab Women.
For the 1996 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1996
Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the...
Darawshe's party ran a joint list with the United Arab List
United Arab List
The United Arab List , commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Ra'am , is a political party representing and supported by Israeli Arabs...
, winning four seats, with Darawshe chairing the alliance's parliamentary group. He lost his seat in the 1999 elections. For the 2009 elections
Israeli legislative election, 2009
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
he was placed 119th on the United Arab List-Ta'al
Ta'al
Ta'al is an Israeli Arab political party in Israel led by Ahmad Tibi.-History:Ta'al was founded by Tibi in the mid 1990s. It ran in the 1996 elections under the name Arab Union, but won only 2,087 votes . For the 1999 elections it ran as part of the Balad list. Tibi won a seat, and broke away from...
list.