Portside

The Joint List was a historic electoral alliance of Palestinian-majority parties. Ten years after its formation, this experiment in Palestinian unity inside Israel — and its ultimate collapse — shows the need for carefully cultivated alliances.

Ayman Odeh was 16 when he was called in for chats with the Shin Bet security service. In his 40s, he was Israeli Jews' favorite Arab politician. Now he is bowing out of party politics, but not because he has abandoned the dream of a better future.