The Israeli political scene may soon be shaken up even more than usual if the efforts of a local Israeli-Arab politician come to fruition.

Sarhan Bader, a local political activist in the Upper Galilee region, announced last week that he intends to establish Israel's first pro-Israel Arab Knesset party. Until recently, Bader was a member of the ruling right-wing Likud Party. His desire to start an Arab parliamentary faction that actually supports the Jewish state became known in the Prime Minister's Office, which, according to The Jerusalem Post, encouraged him to pursue that goal. Bader told the newspaper that the current Arab parties (Balad, Hadash and the United Arab List) fail to properly serve their constituents because all they do is oppose and criticize Israel. "Most Arab citizens are in favor of coexisting, cooperating and living in harmony with Jewish Israelis,” he said.

“The other Arab parties place too much emphasis on the Palestinians and external Arabs. But it’s more important to serve the Arabs inside Israel who want to live here in peace with our Jewish cousins."