Politics1 min read

Joint List offers to back anti-Netanyahu government: Report

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Opposition figures have initiated contacts with Arab leaders to explore unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without granting them ministerial cabinet portfolios. The Arab Joint List has conditioned its support on policy commitments including funding to fight crime in Arab municipalities, halting home demolitions, and advancing a Palestinian state. However, significant friction persists because Yousef Jabareen refused to meet Gadi Eisenkot's demand to designate Hamas as a terror group. President Isaac Herzog will receive certified election tallies on November 4 before launching consultations ahead of the November 10 swearing-in.

Key points

  • Benjamin Netanyahu cannot be ousted unless Zionist opposition parties successfully coordi…: Benjamin Netanyahu cannot be ousted unless Zionist opposition parties successfully coordinate with Arab factions holding 19 combined seats.
  • Demands regarding Palestinian statehood and refusals to brand Hamas a terrorist group pre…: Demands regarding Palestinian statehood and refusals to brand Hamas a terrorist group present severe obstacles to forming a governing coalition.
  • President Isaac Herzog has formally called on party leadership to respect the election re…: President Isaac Herzog has formally called on party leadership to respect the election results and prevent another national vote.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The Arab Joint List is willing to support an opposition-led government to replace Israeli prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition, but will not join the cabinet, senior party leader Ahmad Tibi has said, as Israel’s political leaders grapple with the challenge of forming a government after an inconclusive election.

Speaking to Channel 12, Tibi urged opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to follow the example of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who relied on the support of Arab lawmakers to secure parliamentary backing for the Oslo Accords. “We want to help anyone who wants to bring down this awful government,” Tibi said, while making clear that the Joint List did not seek ministerial positions or cabinet berths.

“Without the Arab parties there won’t be change,” he said, pointing to the election results, which left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats and his opponents with 67 in the 120-member Knesset. The opposition tally includes 48 seats held by Zionist parties and 19 won by Arab factions — the Joint List with 11 and Ra’am with eight. However, several Jewish-led opposition parties have ruled out…

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