Heba Yazbak ( ar, هبة يزبك, he, הֵיבַּא יָזְבָּק, born 8 July 1985) 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 ...

politician, sociologist and academic. She served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

for Balad and the

Joint List The Joint List ( ar, القائمة المشتركة, ''al-Qa'imah al-Mushtarakah'', he, הָרְשִׁימָה הַמְּשֻׁתֶּפֶת, ''HaReshima HaMeshutefet'') was a political alliance of four of the Arab-majority political parties in ...

from 2019 to 2021.

Biography

Yazbak was born in Nazareth into a Muslim family; her father Mahmoud is a historian 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 ...

focusing on Middle Eastern history.Meet the Woman Set to Shatter Stereotypes About Arab Lawmakers in Israel
Haaretz, 4 April 2019 She attended the Salvatorian Sisters Catholic High School and earned a BA in social work at the

. Her cousin, Wissam Hamdan Yazbak, was killed while taking part in the October 2000 riots in Nazareth. She studied for a MA in social work and was a PhD student at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

, where she also worked as a researcher and lecturer on sociology, focussing on Palestinian society and gender issues.From a ‘Love Hormone’ Expert to a Martial Arts Champ: Meet the New Faces in the 2019 Election Race
Haaretz, 3 March 2019 Yazbak became involved with Balad at the age of 15, and joined the party whilst at university, becoming chair of the University of Haifa branch. She was placed sixth on the party's list for the 2013 Knesset elections, but the party won only three seats. Prior to the April 2019 Knesset elections, she was placed second on the Balad list. With Balad running a joint list with the

United Arab List The United Arab List ( he, הַרְשִׁימָה הַעֲרָבִית הַמְאוּחֶדֶת, ''HaReshima HaAravit HaMe'uhedet''; ar, القائمة العربية الموحدة, ''al-Qā'ima al-'Arabiyya al-Muwaḥḥada''), commonly kn ...

, she was placed fourth on the alliance's list, and was elected to the Knesset as it won four seats. In the build-up to the September 2019 elections, Balad rejoined the

alliance, with Yazbak placed eighth on the alliance's list. She was re-elected when it won 13 seats. Prior to the March 2020 elections, several parties requested that Yazbak be banned from contesting the elections under the electoral law banning candidates who had openly supported armed conflict against Israel, as she had referred to Lebanese militant

Samir Kuntar Samir Kuntar ( ar, سمير القنطار, also transcribed ''Sameer'', ''Kantar'', ''Quntar'', ''Qantar''; 20 July 1962 – 19 December 2015) was a Lebanese Druze member of the Palestine Liberation Front and Hezbollah. He was convicted of ter ...

as a martyr in a post on Facebook. However, the High Court allowed her to run, and she was re-elected. Placed seventh on the list of the Joint List for the March 2021 elections, she lost her seat as the alliance was reduced to six seats.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yazbak, Heba 1985 births Living people 21st-century Israeli women politicians Arab members of the Knesset Balad (political party) politicians Israeli Muslims Israeli sociologists Israeli women sociologists Israeli women scientists Members of the 21st Knesset (2019) Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020) Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021) Politicians from Nazareth Tel Aviv University alumni Academic staff of Tel Aviv University University of Haifa alumni Women members of the Knesset