Politicsג'מעה אזברגה

Juma Azbarga

Juma Azbarga is a Bedouin Israeli Arab politician who served as a Knesset member for Balad and the Joint List from 2017 to 2019.

born 1956Balad Knesset member, 2017 to 2019Opening Maccabi clinics for Negev BedouinOpposition to the Prawer Plan

Born: 15 August 1956, Israel
Occupation: politician
Party: Balad
Education: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Juma Azbarga was born in 1956 in Israel

Azbarga was born on 15 August 1956 in Lakiya. He went to a local community school, since the town had no state schools then. In 1973 he moved to Tayibe for high school and graduated in 1978.

He began studies at a teacher training college in Beersheba but was expelled after a political argument with a lecturer. He later earned a BA in health administration at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

After working as an earthworks contractor, he helped open the first Maccabi Healthcare Services clinics for the Negev Bedouin in 1993. He worked for Maccabi for 17 years and managed its clinics in Kuseife, Lakiya and Rahat. He also opposed the Prawer Plan on behalf of the Negev Arabs' High Follow-Up Committee.

He joined Balad in 1999 and was elected to the Lakiya local council in 2004. He ran for the Knesset several times without success. He entered the Knesset on 21 March 2017, replacing Basel Ghattas, and lost his seat in the April 2019 elections.

Azbarga is married with 9 children and lives in Lakiya. The Interior Ministry issued a demolition order against his home.