Probability Of Arab-Jewish Coalition To Govern Israel Grows As Pressure On Netanyahu Mounts

The likelihood that the leaders of the Zionist opposition bloc and the Arab parties will form a coalition government which would oust current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power is growing.

Tuesday’s Knesset (Israeli parliament) elections caused a political stalemate as no political coalition won the 61 seats necessary to form a Knesset majority. Instead, parties that make up Netanyahu‘s ruling bloc won 53 seats, while the so-called “Zionist opposition” bloc won 48. The Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, won a total of 19 seats, which means they could be the kingmakers in forming a government with either coalition.

The Telegraph reported on Saturday that the Arab parties are expected to support the opposition bloc, led by former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, in their bid to form a government.

“The Joint List will recommend Eisenkot to become the candidate for prime minister,” Jafar Farah, the director of the Arab-Israeli advocacy group The Mossawa Center, told the British outlet.

For his part, Eisenkot said in September that Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas would not form part of a potential future Eisenkot-led administration because of Abbas’ disagreement with certain key principles that, according to Eisenkot, all future coalition partners of his would have to uphold.

Those principles include the recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization, the acknowledgement that Israel is a Jewish and democratic state and support for the declaration of independence that established the Israeli state in 1948.

On Saturday, Eisenkot released a statement reaffirming that those principles would have to be agreed upon by all members of an Eisenkot-led “Zionist, state-like government with as broad a national consensus as possible.” Some outlets interpreted the statement as a sign that Eisenkot was opening the door to the possibility of an Arab-Zionist alliance.

Farah, who had been a Joint List candidate before withdrawing from the race before the elections, said that the Joint List would “sit and negotiate” with Eisenkot regarding the governing principles he outlined.

Netanyahu has been far more intransigent than his main rival with regards to an alliance with Arab parties. The current Israeli leader has repeatedly ruled out allying with the Arab parties.

This week, Netanyahu’s X account has posted various video compilations of the Arab parties and their supporters and representatives accompanied by the phrase “it is forbidden to form a government with them.” He also accused Ra’am of benefiting from unproven foreign interference campaigns and stealing the elections.

On Saturday, large anti-Netanyahu protests were held in Tel Aviv as thousands demanded that the opposition and Arab leaders unite to ensure Netanyahu, who has been in office for a (non-consecutive) total of 19 years, is removed from power.