As Israelis each week take to the streets to rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial judicial reforms, the Arab Israeli public is nowhere to be found.
Not one Arab party official or community leader has come out in either defense or condemnation of the planned overhaul. That's a far cry from the mass social protests of 2011 when they had plenty to say.
The Knesset's most prominent Arab members - Ayman Odeh, Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi - haven't said a single word, when people were expecting them to side with the Opposition.
Moreover, the Supreme Court is perceived as the main judicial body that still stands up for minorities within the State of Israel, such as the Arab sector. All throughout the 1990s, the Arab Israeli public leveraged the Supreme Court to advance causes near and dear to their heart.
But reality is showing us that things don't always go according to our own preconceived notions. The Arab public has discovered that economic leverage can come from both sides of the Israeli political spectrum, not just the Left. Business is business. Money and financial benefits know no political or ideological boundaries.
Bird's eye view of protests in Jerusalem
(Footage: Oren Alon, hi-tech workers)
Back in 2019, Mansour Abbas devised a plan in which political and financial benefit for the public he represents would come from Benny Gantz, hence recommending him to then-president Reuven Rivlin to become the prime minister following elections. Abbas' Raam party later joined the coalition under then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett - becoming the first Arab faction to make up the Israeli government.
But judging by their conduct since the start of the judicial crisis, it appears the Arab leadership is keen to continue with the pragmatic approach, despite not seeing tangible financial bonuses to benefit their public from the current far-right government. And the Arab public is in need of funds - especially in light of out-of-proportion crime engulfing the sector throughout Israel.
They seem content walking the line between the two Israeli political extremes, adopting the "don't mind me" approach. They are waiting to see where the chips might fall before aligning themselves on the issue.
From this perspective, the silence from the Arab public on the judicial reforms seems to be a sort of litmus test for their ideology of pragmatism, hoping to create sustainable cooperation with Jewish politicians.
In a time when IDF forces are routinely raiding major Palestinian cities, leaving locals dead or wounded while hunting down terrorists, agitating the international community that is still dreaming of a two-state solution and getting ever closer to a third intifada - this could actually be good news.
Dr. Doron Matza (Ph.D. from Ben Gurion University of the Negev) specializes in Palestinian issues, Israeli Arabs, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Middle East. He has held senior positions in the Israeli defense and intelligence systems.