Israel goes to the polls tomorrow for the fourth time in two years. Meanwhile, the violence that continues to plague the Arab society could hold the key to the outcome.

In this March 23 election, the Arab Ra’am faction led by Mansour Abbas will be running independently of the Arab Joint List. Ra’am has already declared its intent to establish a new paradigm for Arab politicians in Israel: “Not only will we pass the electoral threshold. We will become a major political force.” What they are really saying is that in order to rein in violence and crime in the Arab society, it is important to become part of the executive branch of government, and not just the legislative and judicial branches.

They aren’t the only ones that believe this either. One group, Mothers for Life, has decided not to wait for the election to speak out against the wave of violent crime that has overwhelmed Arab society for years. The group, founded by a group of bereaved mothers, has decided to combat this worrisome phenomenon by calling on all families that have lost loved ones to violence to break their silence and raise their voices against it. Last August, during the hottest days of summer, and while the coronavirus was ravaging the country, these mothers and their allies decided to march from Haifa all the way to President Reuven Rivlin’s residence in Jerusalem.

Over the past few years, there have been a fair share of fiery speeches and scathing condemnation of violence in the Arab public coming from the prime minister, Cabinet, Knesset members and mayors. In fact, who hasn’t spoken up about it? On the other hand, just about everyone knows that very little has actually been done to get this pandemic of violence under control. Despite all the rhetoric, it continues to take its toll on the country’s Arab population.