In brief
Senior Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi confirmed that Israel’s Joint List is in talks with the anti‑Netanyahu bloc to help form an alternative government after the recent parliamentary election. The alliance is willing to support the change bloc, though it is unlikely to formally join a governing coalition. The discussions may influence post‑election politics amid a hung parliament, while voters and parties grapple with the outcome of the parliamentary vote.
In the aftermath of the Tuesday parliamentary election, senior Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi confirmed that Israel’s Joint List is in talks with the bloc opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help form an alternative government, according to Xinhua’s report.
Immediate Developments
Tibi, chairman of the Ta’al party, said in an interview with Israel’s state‑owned Kan Reshet Bet Radio that the Joint List was “ready to help the so‑called ‘change bloc’ replace Netanyahu, although it was unlikely to formally join a governing coalition.”
We have blocked the possibility of Netanyahu forming a government, and our public wants us to go further and influence the shape of the political system after the elections.
Speaking before a crowded audience in Jerusalem, Tibi added that the alliance was open to discussing parliamentary arrangements, including when its lawmakers would vote, in exchange for progress on “issues affecting Israel’s Arab minority, including crime, house demolitions, infrastructure and incitement.”
Yair Golan, leader of the near‑center Democrats party and part of the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, urged his allies to abandon their unwillingness to cooperate with Arab parties: “We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes,” Golan wrote on the social‑media platform X.
Yousef Jabareen, chairman of the Joint List, also expressed willingness to help Eisenkot replace Netanyahu, saying in a statement: “Anyone who wants to offer a real alternative to Netanyahu’s bloodstained government will have to talk to us. We are ready to pave the way for Netanyahu’s removal.”
These remarks came as vote counting continued after an election that appeared to leave neither Netanyahu’s right‑wing bloc nor the rival bloc led by Eisenkot with the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. With about 77 per cent of the votes counted, Netanyahu’s bloc was projected to win 54 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc was projected to win 49, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.
Broader Context
The Joint List is an alliance of Arab‑led parties—Ta’al, Balad, and Hadash—that represents Israel’s Arab minority. It has historically been cautious about formal coalition participation, preferring to act as a pressure group outside of government. In the current hung parliament, the stalemates between the two largest blocs highlight the importance of the Joint List’s position.
The Joint List’s readiness to engage—yet reluctance to formally join—reflects its historical strategy: to influence policy from the sidelines while maintaining a clear stand on security and minority rights. The trade‑off discussed in the talks involves parliamentary influence in exchange for addressing issues identified by the Joint List, including crime and infrastructure for Arab communities.
With Netanyahu’s bloc projected to have 54 seats and Eisenkot’s bloc projected to have 49, the remaining 17 seats must come from smaller parties, including the Muslim Ra’am party. The composition of any future coalition will therefore hinge on the negotiations between the Joint List and the anti‑Netanyahu bloc, as well as on the smaller parties willing to cooperate.
While the Joint List has articulated a willingness to “help” the anti‑Netanyahu coalition, it remains clear that it will “probably not be an organic part of this government,” in Tibi’s own words. The strikey phrase underscores the ongoing uncertainty about the exact nature of any engagement the Joint List might enter: whether it will be a single‑issue negotiator, a parliamentary pressure group, or something else.
The uncertainties articulated by the sources focus on the yet‑unresolved question of how these talks will translate into concrete parliamentary arrangements, the exact nature of the proposed alternative government, and whether the Joint List will accept any formal coalition participation. These factors remain open as the final vote counts are cleared and negotiations progress.
