Arab Joint List Signals It Could Back Opposition to Netanyahu Without Joining Government

Israel’s Arab Joint List has indicated it may support a government opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without joining its coalition. Ahmad Tibi, a veteran lawmaker and member of the Joint List, said the bloc was prepared to break with decades of political precedent to help form an opposition government.

The proposal follows Israel’s legislative election on Oct. 27, which expanded Arab parties’ representation in the Knesset. Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 of the 120 seats, while opposition parties led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48. The Joint List won 11 seats, and the Arab party Ra’am won eight.

Together, the two Arab blocs hold 19 seats and could be pivotal in enabling the opposition to reach a parliamentary majority. Any arrangement would depend on Jewish-led opposition parties agreeing to negotiate with Arab parties, some of whose statements about Israel and the regional conflict have drawn criticism.

Under Tibi’s proposal, the Joint List could support an opposition government in parliamentary votes while remaining outside the administration. That approach could give Arab parties a role in forming and sustaining a new majority without making them directly responsible for cabinet decisions. It is also intended to address opposition factions’ resistance to including Arab parties in government.

Tibi acknowledged that an alliance would not end Israel’s wars or halt the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Joint List would also have to explain to its voters why it supported a government that might not share their positions on the conflict with the Palestinians. Ra’am, which is seen as more open to institutional participation, has said it is willing to join an anti-Netanyahu government. It was the only Arab party to formally join an Israeli governing coalition, serving in the administration led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in 2021.