Politics1 min read

Israel: Tibi urges Eisenkot to show 'courage' and form minority government with Palestinians

By · Via Middle East Eye · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Recent election outcomes have denied both major Israeli blocs a 61-seat majority, leaving Netanyahu's bloc with only 53 seats. Palestinian factions achieved a historic high of 19 seats, split between the Joint List's 11 seats and Ra'am's eight seats, establishing them as essential kingmakers. Ta’al leader Ahmad Tibi proposed establishing a minority administration supported from the outside, directly referencing Yitzhak Rabin's 1993 governing model to avert a potential national unity coalition.

Key points

  • Neither major political bloc can assemble a 61-seat majority without relying on backing f…: Neither major political bloc can assemble a 61-seat majority without relying on backing from Palestinian factions.
  • Ahmad Tibi firmly rejected joining a national unity government because it would help Benj…: Ahmad Tibi firmly rejected joining a national unity government because it would help Benjamin Netanyahu market policies to Western nations.
  • The Joint List's primary legislative objectives are unseating Benjamin Netanyahu and enha…: The Joint List's primary legislative objectives are unseating Benjamin Netanyahu and enhancing living conditions for Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Tibi has urged Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to show political courage and work with Arab parties to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule.

In an interview with Middle East Eye on Friday, Tibi called on Eisenkot to summon “the courage of [former prime minister] Yitzhak Rabin”.

In 1993, Rabin’s minority government of 56 seats relied on Palestinian-led parties for parliamentary support, amid the push to advance the Oslo Accords.

Tibi, founder and leader of the Ta’al party (Arab Movement for Renewal), said there was no democratic justification for ruling out cooperation with Palestinian representatives in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, this time around.

“I hope Eisenkot will be courageous enough to go forward and form a minority government, which will end this government of Netanyahu immediately,” Tibi said.

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A minority government occurs when the ruling coalition holds fewer than 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats. It survives by securing a "safety net" agreement, relying…

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