text: Number of voters higher than residents - Comment - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper
  19.06.05 | 22:15 (IDT)
  The number of voters in Tira is higher than the number of residents because in areas around Tira, there are no party offices or voter registration centers, so they have to come into Tira to register. In other words, people who do not have a center in their area will have to go to the nearest city. Hence the large number of voters, its based on the influx from outside.
  As for Arabs voting for the Labor party, it is partly true that at this point the arabs need to look after their interests. Before an Arab can go out and ask for "equal seats" in the Kenesset or whatever political rights they need, they must first satisfy their basic human needs - Water, food and shelter. Currently, the sanitary conditions in the arab areas are insufficient. People are unemployed. Housing is poor and almost obsolete, and renovating or building extra units is near impossible, givem the unecessarily tedious process an arab must go through to get a permit, only to be rejected at the end. Given these conditions, the general public will tend to favor which ever deal will improve the living conditions. Some may argue that this was part of Israel's strategy to being with - Make their life a living hell so that they either flee or do as you wish. Regardless of who planned what, the current living standards of Israeli Arabs justify their voting actions. If Shas offers you a house, then vote for Shas. I agree with Mr. Gideon. This is rather opportunistic, and the Arabs are not looking at the big picture. They could acheive more for their cause by taking a stronger stance. They shouldn't bow to cheap offers regardless of the conditions. However, that is easier said than done, and we can only understand their position once we live in their shoes: without work, without dreams and without the basic needs that any humanbeing is entitled to. from the article: Arabs for hire