Balad

Balad is an Arab political party in Israel led by Sami Abu Shehadeh. The party advocates for the rights of Arab citizens in Israel. Name The party is known by the acronym of its Hebrew name, Brit Leumit Demokratit; Balad is also an Arabic word meaning "country" or "nation". Its full Arabic name is at-Tajammuʿ al-Waṭanī ad-Dīmuqrāṭī. Ideology Balad is a political party whose stated purpose is the "struggle to transform the state of Israel into a democracy for all its citizens, irrespective of national or ethnic identity". It opposes the idea of Israel as a Jewish state, and supports its creating a new "democratic and secular" state. Balad also advocates that the state of Israel recognize Arabs as a national minority, entitled to all rights that come with that status including autonomy in education, culture and media. Since the party's formation, it has objected to every proposed state budget.