| Summary/Abstract |
For the first 28 years of Israel’s existence, the Arab minority was represented in the Knesset by a series of ‘satellite lists’ affiliated mainly with the Mapai party and, later, with the Alignment (Labour). This article explores the role of the satellite lists in the early years of the state, and the reasons for their ultimate demise. The fate of these lists would be inextricably tied to the overall political development and political liberation of their constituencies. Their relative success was intimately connected to the disarray of Palestinian Arab society after the 1948 war, the political isolation of the Arab minority and a belief held by the Jewish leadership that the traditional Arab notability could be co-opted. The satellite lists could not survive for long once these factors were mitigated and a more authentic alternative leadership had evolved.
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