Ayman Odeh

A convention of the Israeli Communist Party (Rakah), Tel Aviv, December 15, 1976. (National Library of Israel/Dan Hadani Archive/The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection)

A century after its founding, the Israeli Communist Party is at a crossroads

For 100 years, Maki has been the leading force for Jewish-Palestinian equality in Israeli politics, yet it has failed to unite Arab and Jewish workers into a viable movement. Was it doomed from the start?

By Joel Beinin July 28, 2023

A view of Israel's Separation Wall and the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, February 2, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

No, Israel’s apartheid doesn’t stop at the Green Line

The fall of the Bennett government illustrates that maintaining Jewish supremacy overrides all other considerations in Israeli politics.

By Orly Noy June 27, 2022

Israeli police detain a Palestinian during a protest at Damascus Gate, Old City of Jerusalem, February 28, 2022. (Flash90)

Ayman Odeh is right: Why should Palestinians serve in the occupier’s police?

Despite Israeli outrage, it is legitimate for the Joint List leader to ask his people not to be part of an apparatus that brutally oppresses other Palestinians.

By Orly Noy April 13, 2022

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MK Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint List, and MK Ahmad Tibi attend a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 7, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Bennett’s coalition crisis puts Palestinian parties in a dilemma

Facing disgruntled voters and the threat of Netanyahu's return, the Joint List appears conflicted about whether to provide a lifeline to the government.

By Wadea Awawdy April 11, 2022

Leader of the Joint List Ayman Odeh seen during a protest for coexistence in Tel Aviv, May 15, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Ayman Odeh still wants to be Israel’s first Palestinian prime minister

In his first interview following the new government's formation, the Joint List head talks Ra’am’s decision to join the coalition, his steadfast support for two states, and why he thinks he can lead Israel's democratic camp to victory.

By Meron Rapoport July 5, 2021

Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas (center) speaks to his supporters on election night in the city of Tamra, March 23, 2021. (Oren Ziv)

How an Islamist became Israel’s unlikely political kingmaker

The fall of the Joint List and rise of Ra'am's Mansour Abbas show that Israeli politics can no longer ignore Palestinian citizens — even if it may end up boosting the right.

By Edo Konrad March 24, 2021

Demonstrators protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside Prime Minister official residence in Jerusalem, July 18, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Netanyahu’s authoritarian rule is turning Israelis against the state

The 'anyone but Bibi' slogan has clear limitations, but when Netanyahu and the Israeli regime have become one and the same, a new civil struggle has begun.

By Meron Rapoport July 23, 2020

The funeral of Yacoub Abu Al-Qi'an in Umm al-Hiran, January 24, 2017. (Activesitlls.org)

New evidence reveals Bedouin citizen was left to die after police shooting

High Court petition shows Israeli police did nothing to save Yacoub Abu al-Qi'an's life or to quell accusations that he was a 'terrorist' during a 2017 demolition raid.

By Oren Ziv February 23, 2020

Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh at the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in southern Israel, after being hit in the head with a sponge-tipped bullet on January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Police botched investigation into shooting of Arab MK, report finds

Human rights group demands Israel Police reopen its case into the 2017 shooting of Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh in the head with a sponge-tipped bullet after finding the initial investigation was ‘negligent.’ The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel is appealing Israel Police’s investigation of its officers’ conduct during a home demolition in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Umm…

By Oren Ziv October 25, 2019

Thousands of Jewish wave the Israeli flags as they celebrate Jerusalem Day in Damascus Gate on their way to the Western Wall. Jerusalem Day celebrations, May 13, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The biggest loser in this election: Liberal Zionism

Israelis consistently vote against the idea of a Jewish and democratic Israel alongside a Palestinian state. It is now impossible to see how that could ever be realized. On Sunday Ayman Odeh, the chairman of the Joint List, met with President Reuven Rivlin to announce his party’s noteworthy decision to endorse Benny Gantz, chairman of…

By Mairav Zonszein September 26, 2019

A Jewish Israeli man shouts at Palestinians while waving the Israeli flag in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem on Jerusalem Day, June 2, 2008. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Voting Netanyahu out is not going to ‘save’ Israel-Palestine

Israeli citizens are about to vote in national elections for the second time in six months. But has anything changed since April? Why is no one talking about the occupation? And are we really about to see the end of the Netanyahu era? +972 writers talk about why these elections matter. Israeli voters will head to the…

By Natasha Roth-Rowland September 15, 2019

Joint List head Ayman Odeh seen during a plenum session in the assembly hall of the Knesset, November 13, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Arabs in Israel want to join the government. You’ll never guess who’s stopping them

Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh said he would be willing to consider joining a center-left coalition, prompting a response from Israel’s centrist party that reveals the true face of those who hope to replace Netanyahu. I do not know whether Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh is a diligent paramedic or a doctor preparing for the long-term treatment of a 72-year-old patient suffering from…

By Samah Salaime August 25, 2019

MK Ayman Odeh lies wounded from sponge-tipped bullets next to Israeli police in the Bedouin village of Umm el-Hiran, Negev, January 18, 2017. (Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

New evidence backs Arab MK’s claims that police shot him

An investigation by a London-based research center shows MK Ayman Odeh was shot with a sponge-tipped bullet during clashes in Umm al-Hiran in 2017. Police repeatedly claimed he was hit by a stone thrown by one of the protesters. New evidence suggests Israeli police shot Palestinian Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh in the head with a sponge-tipped bullet during…

By Oren Ziv June 5, 2019