ARAB MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE (Arabic: al-Haraka al-Arabiya lil-Taghyeer; Hebrew: ha-Tnua ha-Aravit le-Hitʾhadshut)

An Israeli Arab political bloc, the Arab Movement was created on 27 March 1996 by Ahmad Tibi, anticipating the Knesset elections of the following May. Ambitious to become the leader of the Israeli Arab camp, Tibi attempted to constitute a common list with two other parties, the HADASH, a party of the left, and the Arab Democratic Party (ADP), whose head, Abdul Wahab Darawshe, was a staunch opponent of Tibi. After the collapse of these negotiations, Tibi changed the name of his bloc to the Arab Alliance for Progress and Renewal, hoping thereby to obtain the adherence of some members of the ADP and the Israeli Islamic Movement. Finally, on 21 May, Tibi withdrew his candidacy in the Knesset elections, calling on his partisans to vote for the Israel Labor Party. In the 1999 elections, Tibi ran again and was elected for what again became known as the Arab Movement for Change. In the 2001 elections, the AMC had two members, including Tibi. In 2002 Tibi and Azmi Bishara of the Democratic National Alliance (Balad) were prohibited from running in the next election on the grounds that they had supported "terrorists" by denouncing the Israeli assault on Jenin that spring; the Israeli Supreme Court overturned the ban shortly before the election in January 2003. The AMC ran in alliance with HADASH; the two parties won three seats, including one for Tibi and the AMC.

SEE ALSO Arab Democratic Party;Bishara, Azmi;Darawshe, Abdul Wahab;Democratic Front for Peace and Equality;Israeli Islamic Movement.