JERUSALEM (CNS) -- As Israelis head to the polls March 17, the two main concerns for most Christian voters are the economy and the security situation in the entire Middle East.

Shukri Abed, a Catholic from the northern Israeli all-Melkite Catholic village of Mi'ilyah and director of Al Quds University's Center for Jerusalem Studies in East Jerusalem, noted most Israeli Christian Arabs live within a triple axis of identities -- Israeli, Catholic and Palestinian -- which influences their voting pattern.

Mi'ilyah is near the Lebanon and Syrian borders, so residents are quite concerned with the question of Islamic State, he said, and would like to see Israel strong on the security front. But, he added, as members of the middle class they are also troubled about the economy and inequality.

"They are feeling the impact of Daesh and are really worried," he said, using the Arabic word for Islamic State. "Their Christian identity becomes very strong, especially in terms of what they see happening to Christians in Iraq and Syria."

Locally though, he said, Catholics are facing the same issues as other Arab citizens of Israel and receive no different treatment in terms of local council budgets and employment opportunities.

The whole region around Israel is not stable, said political consultant Wadie Abunassar, a Catholic from the northern Israeli city of Haifa. He ticked off neighboring countries currently threatened by Islamic State control or infiltration: Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and adding Jordan as a "volcano which might erupt."

"And there is no assurance that the West Bank and Gaza will remain calm in the future," he added.

This whole situation requires Israel to be on continuous security alert which in turn, according to a recent Bank of Israel report, will necessitate an investment of nearly $900 million to finance everything from weapons to military drills. Abunassar said the cost will need to come out of the taxpayers' pockets, regardless of who is elected.

"This will affect the quality of life in Israel of all its citizens. And one thing many Jewish, Muslim and Christian intellectuals agree on is that, in order to do some damage control in this region, it is an essential need to make an agreement with the Palestinians," he said, noting that the whole issue of the peace process has been put on the back burner for now.

As a majority of the Christian population belongs to the middle class -- which has already been hard hit by a tough economic situation, high cost of living and a hike in taxes -- the prospect of additional economic hardships on the horizon is a source of trepidation, he added.

In February, after some intellectuals called on Arabs to boycott the elections because of what they called their representatives' continued lack of effectiveness, the justice and peace commission of Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land called for all voters to be "responsible and vote."

"Your vote, your single vote, might make a difference for our present and future in this country and for the life of many," the statement said. "Take up your responsibility and vote according to your conscience, but vote and thus speak out. Your voice is important.

"Your duty is to help the country emerge from the enduring situation of conflict," the statement said. "We are not condemned to live forever in fear of the other, in continuous suffering. Help make this holy land a better place. The great and the powerful are those who can bring back tranquility to this country."

An earlier initiative to formulate a Christian political party did not come to fruition.

"I don't know if that would've been a wise step," said Abunassar. "Christians are called to be an integral part of their respective societies. The best way to integrate is to work with others for the benefit of all."

One of the leaders in the movement for a Christian party took his platform to parties running in the election. Now Shadi Khallol, a Maronite Catholic, is on the electoral slate of Yisrael Beiteinu; he said it was the only party that accepted him as a candidate with his seven points in support of Christian representation and improvement in the economic and educational spheres, specifically with a Christian agenda.

"I am going to advance the Christian needs. We are the smallest and most underprivileged community in Israel. We have never had representation which speaks just about our needs," he said, noting that other Christian legislators spoke out for general Arab issues.

In the Israeli parliamentary system, the political parties first have internal elections to choose their leader. In the national elections, people vote for a party. The president, who holds a symbolic role, then consults with the party leaders to see which party they believe is the most likely to be able to form a coalition. It is conceivable that while a party may receive the most mandates, it might not the one called on by the president to form the government.