Attorney Said Nafa, who holds the No. 4 spot on Balad list, is the designated replacement for MK Azmi Bishara, who reportedly is going to tender his resignation from Amman, Jordan.

For his part, Nafa told Haaretz Monday that he was in no rush to celebrate.

Nafa, 54, a Druze, resides in the village of Beit Jann with his wife and nine children. As a conscientious objector, he has refused service in the Israel Defense Forces and was jailed several times. His four sons also stood trial for refusing to enlist.

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"Currently, MK Bishara has not resigned, but if such a decision is made during the coming days, it will not be a surprise or a response to any particular development. The issue of Bishara's resignation rises every so often in party meetings, because of his extensive activity outside the Knesset, either lecturing or writing," Nafa said.

Nafa joined the Communist Party in 1967 and remained in its ranks until 1997. He completed his studies in law at Tel Aviv University in 1983.

He has been politically active in his community, serving as head of the local authority and deputy head during the 1990s. He joined Balad in 1999, with a large group of Druze, and in 2001, he announced a "Pact of Free Druze," which aims to stop the conscription of the Druze and claims the Druze are an inalienable part of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel - and the Palestinian nation at large.

In 2003, he founded a committee that brings together Druze leaders in the Arab world, mostly in Syria and Lebanon, including Lebanon's veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.

Balad: MK Bishara will return to Israel, hasn't decided to resign
MK Azmi Bishara (Balad) will return to Israel at the end of his visit to Arab states, the party's Knesset chairman MK Jamal Zahalka said on Monday, and sources within Balad said the party chairman's resignation is not yet confirmed.

Balad sources told Haaretz that Bishara had announced his wish to withdraw from politics a while ago, but until now Balad had rejected its leader's requests.

Haaretz has also learned that Bishara has already prepared his resignation letter, though he has not yet tendered it to the Knesset.

Zahalka said that Bishara was considering resigning to be able to devote more time to research and writing, but could not say when this would take place.

The Nazareth-based Arab-language weekly A-Sinara's Internet site reported on Sunday that Bishara intended to announce his resignation while he was out of the country, but according to a Balad statement issued on Monday, his decision to resign is not yet final.

Bishara was expected to make the announcement in a television interview from his present location in Amman, Jordan.

He was also expected to send his letter of resignation to Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik following the Passover recess, later in the week.

The Balad chairman left Israel two weeks ago. He initially left for Qatar to serve as commentator for the Al Jazeera TV network during the Arab Summit in Riyadh. He then flew to Amman, in order to promote the release of his latest novel.

Balad's central committee on Saturday issued a statement entitled "The Intelligence Attack," in which it denied reports that Bishara intended to resign. However, the statement said Bishara had advised his party of his wish to resign, but they had not decided whether to accept it yet. "The movement's leadership does not depend on a parliament seat, especially not a Knesset seat," Balad said.

Senior Balad officials stressed to Haaretz on Sunday that the resignation will be confirmed only if Bishara does in fact make the announcement.

The Arab Balad party was founded in 1995 by activists of Bnei Hakfar (Sons of the Village), the Progressive List and the Jewish-Arab movement Brit Shivyon (Equality Assembly). In 1996 Bishara was elected as a Knesset member as part of a joint ticket with Hadash. Three years later, he ran with MK Ahmed Tibi on one ticket. In 2003 the party got three Knesset seats.

In June 2000, shortly after the IDF's pullout from Lebanon , Bishara said at a party gathering in Umm al-Fahm: "Hezbollah won, and for the first time since 1967 we have tasted victory. Hezbollah is entitled to take pride in its achievement in humiliating Israel."

A year later he made a similar statement at a memorial for President Hafez Assad in Damascus. Following these speeches Bishara's parliamentary immunity was removed and he was indicted for supporting a terror organization.

Bishara petitioned the High Court of Justice against his indictment, arguing that he had "expressed his opinion on political issues par excellence," as part of his duties as a Knesset member. The court accepted his petition in 2006 and ruled that Bishara's support for Hezbollah in those speeches was expressed as part of his parliamentary duties.

Regardless of how unpleasant Bishara's statements are, "we must protect MKs' ability to fulfill their duty without fear," the justices said.

In the 2006 elections, Balad received over 72,000 votes, making it the third largest Israeli Arab party. The party's charter calls for equal rights for Israeli Arabs.

Within Israeli Arab society, Balad is seen as representing an Arab nationalist line strongly opposed to Israel and the U.S.

In a published article, Balad's MK Zahalka wrote "Balad's foundation blocked the Israelization Arabs were facing as a result of the Oslo [peace] process and presented the Palestinian Arab option as the only option Arab citizens could conscientiously belong to, besides identification as a citizen of the state."

In the 2003 elections, a bid was made to disqualify Balad from running for the Knesset, but the High Court of Justice blocked the move.