Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi ( ar, غيداء ريناوي-زعبي; he, גִּ'ידָא רִינָאוִּי־זוּעְבִּי, born 28 September 1972) is an
Israeli Arab
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
activist, politician and diplomat. She was a member of the Knesset representing
Meretz
Meretz ( he, מֶרֶצ, ) is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset ...
from 2021 to 2022.
Biography
Early life and education
Zoabi was born in
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
, the eldest daughter of a
nephrologist
Nephrology (from Greek'' nephros'' "kidney", combined with the suffix ''-logy'', "the study of") is a specialty of adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (ren ...
who was amongst the founders of the dialysis department at the
EMMS Nazareth Hospital
The EMMS Nazareth Hospital, also known as Scottish Hospital and English Hospital, is the general hospital of the city of Nazareth, Israel. It was founded as a Christian mission by Dr. Kaloost Vartan and the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society in ...
and a homemaker. She attended St Joseph's School and then studied for a bachelor's degree in Hebrew literature and psychology at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
.
[ג'ידא רינאוי-זועבי]
Hebrew University of Jerusalem She later earned a master's degree in literature at the
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
.
[
]
Career
Zoabi founded Injaz, the Centre for Professional Arab Local Governance. She became a member of the board of directors at Ruppin Academic Center
Ruppin Academic Center (), also known as Ruppin College, is a college in Israel, which has the status of an institutional settlement. It was established in 1949, is named after Arthur Ruppin, and is located near the moshav Kfar Monash, and within ...
and served on the Prime Minister's Round Table for Emergency Preparedness.[ She was selected by '']TheMarker
''TheMarker'' ( he, דה-מרקר) is a Hebrew-language daily business newspaper published by the Haaretz group in Israel.
''TheMarker'' was founded in 1999 by journalist and entrepreneur Guy Rolnik along with Haaretz group and U.S.-based invest ...
'' as one of the 100 most influential people in Israel in 2011, while ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' listed her as one of the 50 most important women in the Israeli economy in 2018.[ In 2015 she was the first Arab woman to win the Proper Government award.][
]
Political career
Prior to the 2021 elections
Many elections occurred in 2021. The National Democratic Institute maintains calendar of elections around the world
* 2021 United Nations Security Council election
* 2021 national electoral calendar
* 2021 local electoral calendar Africa
* 2021 ...
she was placed fourth on the Meretz
Meretz ( he, מֶרֶצ, ) is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset ...
list. During the election campaign she was criticised after stating that, out of respect for the Arab sector of Israel, she would abstain from voting on any legislation banning conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
, later saying she would support legislation that supported LGBTQ rights. She was elected to the Knesset as the Meretz party won six seats.
In February 2022 Zoabi was appointed consul-general to Shanghai, becoming the first Israeli-Arab woman to serve as a senior diplomat. The appointment was delayed.["Meretz MK Rinawie Zoabi quits coalition, putting it in minority."]
''The Times of Israel
''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman. '', 19 May 2022. On 19 May she resigned from the coalition, lowering its number to a minority of 59,[ but rejoined the coalition three days later.
Zoabi was accused of playing a central part in the fall of the Bennett–Lapid government her party was part of, due to her voting repeatedly against the Meretz party line.] Among the coalition bills she voted against were those concerning the draft exemption law and the approval of West Bank regulations.[ According to the ]Walla!
Walla! Communications Ltd. ( he, וואלה! תקשורת בע"מ) is an Israeli internet company headquartered in Tel Aviv and is fully owned by The Jerusalem Post. Until 2020, it was fully owned by Bezeq. Walla!'s web portal provides news, sea ...
news website, Zoabi was pressured in doing so by the Ultra-Orthodox
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
Shas
Shas ( he, ש״ס) is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 under the leadership of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until his death in October 2013, it primarily ...
party, at the time in the opposition.[
]
Controversy
In October 2023 under a new government in which Shas is a partner, but Meretz is not, there were media reports about Zoabi working as a consultant for an organisation which provides services to West Bank settlements under the umbrella of the Shas-controlled Interior Ministry
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
. In the context of Zoabi's voting pattern under the previous government, in whose downfall she played a key role, Meretz Secretary General Tomer Reznik
Tomer ( he, תֹּמֶר, , Palm Tree) is an Israeli settlement organized as a moshav in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley next to the Palestinian village of Fasayil, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. ...
wrote to the attorney general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
calling for a criminal investigation against Zoabi due to "concern that the position given to former MK Zoabi allegedly constitutes bribery
Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...
as defined by law".[
]
Private life
As of 2022, she resides in Nof HaGalil
Nof HaGalil ( he, נוֹף הַגָּלִיל, lit. ''View of Galilee''; ar, نوف هچليل) is a city in the Northern District of Israel with a population of .
Nof HaGalil was founded in 1957 as Nazareth Illit ( he, נָצְרַת עִלִ ...
Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi: Particulars
Knesset (formerly named Upper Nazareth).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoabi, Ghaida
1972 births
Living people
21st-century Israeli women politicians
Arab members of the Knesset
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Israeli activists
Israeli women activists
Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022)
Meretz politicians
People from Nazareth
University of Haifa alumni
Women members of the Knesset
Israeli consuls
Israeli women diplomats