For months now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stubbornly courting the Arab population. In a March 21 interview with Arab-Israeli news outlets Hala TV and Panet, the prime minister promised that he would arrange direct flights from Tel Aviv to Mecca so Muslim Israelis can participate in the annual pilgrimage. He spoke enthusiastically about the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, particularly in the Gulf, and the improving relationships between Jews and Arabs at home.

It was an enticing promise and the news reverberated throughout the country, forcing Knesset members from the Joint List onto the defensive.

Even the Joint List seems to concede that Netanyahu’s campaign in the Arab society has been effective. In a matter of months, he has managed to win hearts with promises to cooperate with the country’s Arab population.

It all began with the normalization agreements he signed with a number of Arab states. Arab-Israelis began benefitting from them directly, even flying to Dubai until air traffic was all but stopped because of the coronavirus.