Waleed Alhwashla

Alhwashla was born in 1981 and holds a master’s degree in political science.[1] His residence is Sa’wa, an unrecognized Bedouin village in the Negev.[1][2] A profile published ahead of the 2022 election listed him as married with three children.[1]

Before entering the Knesset, Alhwashla served as an adviser to Sa’id al-Harumi and subsequently managed Ra’am’s Knesset faction.[2] He also chaired the Islamic Movement’s General Assembly and became a prominent public activist in Arab society in the Negev.[1][2] His responsibilities within Ra’am included acting as the party’s principal liaison with Bedouin communities in the south.[2]

Ra’am, founded in 1996, is an Islamist Arab party that has operated independently since 2021, when it became the first independent Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition.[4] Its stated policies include establishing an Arab Palestinian state alongside Israel, securing recognition of Israeli Arabs as a national minority in an Israeli constitution, and expanding government funding and programs for Arab communities.[4] Ahead of the 2022 primary, Alhwashla worked closely with Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas as the party navigated its first year in a governing coalition.[6]

In the run-up to Ra’am’s August 2022 internal primary, Alhwashla competed for the Negev-designated third position on the party slate, with Rahat mayor Faiz Abu Sahiben among his opponents.[6] He defeated two other candidates for that position.[7] The primary selected candidates for the top four places, leaving the remainder of the slate to be determined later.[7] In the November 1, 2022 election, Alhwashla stood third on the United Arab List slate; the party received 193,916 votes, or 4.07 percent, and won five seats.[3]

In January 2024, Alhwashla joined a visit by six Knesset members to unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev.[8] He said residents lacked adequate bomb shelters and that government representatives had not answered letters about the problem, estimating that 140,000 Negev residents were without shelters.[8] Calling for a change in state policy, he said: “The state must change its policy toward the Bedouin. We want to live here in dignity and bring prosperity to the Negev as well.”[8] He also criticized budget cuts and the demolition of homes without alternative housing.[8]

During a March 2024 Knesset debate on the proposed amended wartime budget, Alhwashla opposed a planned reduction of about 15 percent in funding for a five-year program intended to advance Arab Israelis’ social and economic integration.[9] He described the proposal as a budget that “doesn’t see Arab society or Bedouin society,” argued that it would widen rather than close gaps, and accused the government of giving a green light to crime in Arab society.[9]

Following the demolition of the unrecognized Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, Alhwashla criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s remarks about the demolitions.[10] He said the government did not treat Bedouins as equals and contrasted what he described as the previous government’s efforts to reach settlements with Bedouins with the current government’s approach, which he said had written them off.[10]

At Ra’am’s 28th conference, held in Tayibe to mark 30 years since the party’s founding, Alhwashla was selected as its southern representative from the dispersed Bedouin communities.[11] He also served as chair of the General Conference, at which about 1,050 delegates selected the party’s Knesset candidates.[11] He occupied fourth place on Ra’am’s 2026 election list and won a seat as the party received 337,253 votes, or 5.93 percent, and secured eight seats.[4] Following completion of the count, he was listed among the eight Ra’am representatives elected to the incoming 26th Knesset, whose swearing-in was scheduled for November 10.[12]

On November 5, 2026, Alhwashla was elected chairman of Ra’am’s Knesset faction for the next term, replacing Waleed Taha.[5] The party cited his parliamentary and organizational experience, including his earlier work as faction director.[5] That same day, he submitted a request on behalf of Ra’am’s eight incoming lawmakers for an early vote to choose a successor to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.[13] The request joined calls from several other parties to hold the vote at the new Knesset’s inaugural session.[13]

Alhwashla’s political role has centered on representing Bedouin communities in the Negev. Ra’am’s 2026 candidate filing identifies him as the party’s principal liaison with Bedouin communities in southern Israel.[2] During a January 2024 visit to unrecognized villages, he pressed for changes involving bomb shelters, budget cuts, and home demolitions.[8]

His election as chair of Ra’am’s Knesset faction in November 2026 gave him a formal leadership role as the party prepared to enter the 26th Knesset with eight seats.[4][5]

In 2026, Alhwashla was the sole Arab member of a special committee considering proposed communications legislation and refused earlier approaches by Likud figures to support the bill or be absent from a vote.[14] A subsequent account, based on an unnamed source familiar with the matter, alleged that later discussions involved a condition that demolitions of Arab homes in the Negev cease before he would consider being absent.[14] Likud denied that the talks had occurred, saying, “It never happened”; no agreement was reported.[14]