Members of the Knesset's Joint Arab List boycotted a Knesset vote which would allow same-sex "couples" to register as married. When asked by Army Radio why his party did not attend the vote, which was pushed by the leftist opposition parties, MK Jamal Zahalka (Joint Arab List) said, "There are those who are ideologically opposed to this, especially in the Islamic Movement, and therefore they did not vote." "This topic is absolutely not on my agenda. "Anyone who takes this path today - in Israel and in other places around the world - the issue came up during long years of fighting and activities. It's not something that was done in a day. In our society, this issue is still in diapers." Zahalka also said that "there are several issues" which he does "not want to explain in depth...due to societal sensitivity." "I am saying this without bias. Everyone has his sensitivities, and there is sensitivity here that I don't want to irritate."
