(May 17) - A convoy of cars drove through the main street in Nazareth yesterday, decorated with Palestinian flags and orange-colored posters in Arabic supporting Azmi Bisharas Balad Party.

Not so many years ago it would have been sufficient reason for police to make arrests on the grounds of incitement and supporting a hostile organization. But yesterday, the scene did not even raise eyebrows. Times and attitudes have changed. After the Oslo accords, we don't feel that the Palestinians [are viewed as] the enemies of Israel, but rather people who want to live in peace in their own state alongside Israel, said a Balad activist at the party's Nazareth headquarters in the town. The Palestinians living in the West Bank and [within the Green Line] are part of the same people. On the one hand we want to see them living in peace in their own state while we, as Israeli citizens, are interested in achieving equality with our Jewish brethren, said the activist, who gave his name as Mazen.

We also believe that we, as Israeli Arabs, will not have the chance to live in peace and as equals here if there wont be a just peace with the Palestinians, he said.

Mazen maintained that Bishara's decision to withdraw from the prime ministerial race had not affected the party's Knesset prospects and that 80 percent who would have voted for him would cast their ballots for One Israel leader Ehud Barak instead.

There was a similar bustle at the headquarters of MK Abdul Wahab Darawshes Democratic Arab Party which, as in the last elections, is running with the Islamic Movement on the United Arab List.

Darawshe himself answered one phone call after another, and gave interviews to national and international television and radio programs, including the the BBCs World Service in Arabic. At midday the latter reported that the voter turnout was only 14% generally and around the same in the Arab sector.

This concerns me, said Darawshe. I think that the Arab community, as part of the peace camp, needs to raise the voter turnout in a significant way in order to give [Barak] the chance of winning and replacing [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu, while also voting en masse to increase the number of Arab representatives in the Knesset, he said.

Only in this way can we, as Arabs, increase our influence in the Knesset and thereby attain greater achievements, for us as Arab citizens of the state, and for the sake of reaching peace in the region, Darawshe added. There was concern in the office over the discovery early that morning of leaflets that had been distributed throughout Nazareth calling on Arab voters to boycott the elections.

It appears that these have been printed and distributed by those in power who have an interest in trying to reduce the vote for Barak, said Mohammed Darawshe, the UAL spokesman.

Similar comments were made by Hadash Secretary-General Mohammed Baraky, who is heading the partys Knesset list.

These leaflets are designed to spread confusion and disrupt the vote for Barak and the Arab parties and we all know who has the most interest in doing that, he said.

At Nazareth's Badaweh bakery, popular with both Jews and Arabs, the atmosphere was much calmer, but also one of determination. The general feeling in the Arab sector is to support and vote for Barak because of the bad economic and political situation, but particularly because of the recession which has hit all of us, said Adel, the bakery owner.

We see Barak as somebody who is neither Left, nor Right, but somebody in the center with a good head on his shoulders who will lead the country in the proper direction not somebody like Netanyahu who not only lost the confidence of his own ministers but also lost Israel respect in the eyes of America, the European countries and the Arab world.

Netanyahu's hands are tied by the religious parties, who have also squeezed the states coffers, and by the settlers. We want somebody who will spread the money more evenly and give us back our hope for peace and prosperity for Jews and Arabs alike, said Adel, 50, and married with seven children. His comments were echoed by pensioner Faiez Shamshoun, who had dropped in for a coffee and a chat. If we have peace at home and in the region, theres a good chance we will all be able to earn our livelihoods honorably, like Adel here, and that is not something that Netanyahu is offering us, he said.

In fact, what he has done has brought us closer to confrontation and stopped the growth of the economy. Thats why I and most other people in the Arab community will be voting for Barak, for change and the return of hope.

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