Balad (political party)

Balad (בָּלַ״ד) is an Arab political party in Israel led by Sami Abu Shehadeh. The party advocates for the rights of Arab citizens in Israel. The party is known by the acronym of its Hebrew name, Brit Leumit Demokratit (בְּרִית לְאֻמִּית דֵּמוֹקְרָטִית); Balad (بلد) is also an Arabic word meaning "country" or "nation". Its full Arabic name is at-Tajammuʿ al-Waṭanī ad-Dīmuqrāṭī (التجمع الوطني الديمقراطي ). Balad is a political party whose stated purpose is the "struggle to transform the state of Israel into a democracy for all its citizens, irrespective of national or ethnic identity". It opposes the idea of Israel as a Jewish state, and supports its creating a new "democratic and secular" state. Balad also advocates that the state of Israel recognize Arabs as a national minority, entitled to all rights that come with that status including autonomy in education, culture and media. Since the party's formation, it has objected to every proposed state budget. The party supports the creation of two states based on pre-1967 borders, with the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem to constitute a Palestinian state the return of Palestinian refugees and their families. Balad was formed and registered as a political party in 1995, by a group of young Israeli Arab intellectuals headed by Azmi Bishara. In the 1999 elections, Balad ran on a joint ticket with 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. In 2001 party leader Azmi Bishara gave a speech in Umm al-Fahm on the 33rd anniversary of Israel's victory in the Six-Day War, deploring it, and later visited Syria and gave a speech mourning the death of Syria's President, Hafez al-Assad a year before, and expressing solidarity with Syria's and Hezbollah's fight against Israel.