A Vision of Hope and Partnership Can Indeed Defeat Fascism and Nationalism

By: Dr. Warda Sada

Note: This is a response article to Naama Lazimi’s most recent piece on her Facebook page.Link to the original article:https://www.citizens.org.il/en/post/on-jewish-arab-partnership-in-the-next-coalition

In her article, Lazimi presents an important moral position:not to be drawn into the poison machine, but to offer a value-based, upright, and hopeful alternative. The choice to focus on life itself—on the lives of all the groups living here—strengthens the understanding that the struggle is not tactical or media-driven, but a struggle over the character of society.

The quotation from Herzl is not a rhetorical ornament; it serves as an intellectual anchor that connects democracy as a universal value with the original Zionist vision—one that places the human being before identity. This is an important connection, especially in the face of nationalist–messianic discourse that empties democracy of its substance.

At the same time, the article remains at a declarative level. It speaks of a vision—but hardly addresses the critical question: how do we translate this vision into courageous political practice, especially with regard to Jewish–Arab partnership and full civic equality?

Precisely because these words are spoken in the name of the Democrats Party—the historical successor to Meretz and the Alignment—the expectation arises for more than a statement of “what we are not willing to be,” and also for clarity about what we are willing to do.

If this is indeed a vision that places the human being before religion, race, and nationality—as Herzl said—then its true test lies in the willingness to engage in full, equal, and unapologetic political partnership with Arab society. Not as a temporary tactic, but as a deep civic worldview.

Under the leadership of Yair Golan, and with an identity that seeks to engage with the legacy of Meretz and the Alignment, there is an opportunity—and a responsibility—to sharpen a courageous and clear position: one that has scarcely been voiced in recent years. Democracy cannot exist without full civic equality and without genuine Jewish–Arab partnership in decision-making.

In conclusion:A vision of hope and partnership can indeed defeat fascism and nationalism—but only if it withstands the test of political courage, not merely the test of elegant phrasing.