Jamal Zahalka

Jamal Zahalka, Arab: جمال زحالقة , Hebrew: ג'מאל זחאלקה , (born January 11, 1955 in Kafr Qara) is an Israeli pharmacist and politician. He was political leader of Balad.
Zahalka is an Arab Israeli. He obtained several degrees in pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, including a PhD.
He was a Member of Knesset from 2003 to 2019. He was also leading the Balad party from 2007 till 2019, due to the flight of Azmi Bishara abroad. From 2015 to 2019 he was a Joint List politician.
Zahalka compares Israeli's policy towards the Palestinian territories with the former apartheid system of South Africa.