Many Jewish Israelis have historically viewed Arab-led political parties with suspicion. That distrust has been reinforced by lawmakers who have defended or praised Israel’s enemies.
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The Joint List, a coalition of three left-wing and nationalist parties, rejects what it refers to as the “racist Zionist consensus” in Israel. It calls for partnering with Jewish Israelis who support a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. It rejects Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, calling for equal rights for all its citizens.
Many Jewish Israelis see that as support for the country’s enemies at a time of war. Netanyahu has encouraged such sentiments, lodging unproven accusations of electoral fraud against the Arab-led parties and portraying them as a threat to national security.
A dilemma for Netanyahu’s opponents
That creates a dilemma for Netanyahu’s main opponents, led by former general Gadi Eisenkot.
In the campaign, they portrayed Netanyahu as a corrupt leader who failed to prevent the October 7, 2023, attack and then blocked a public inquiry into it. They cast the election in existential terms, saying Netanyahu’s far-right government threatened Israel’s democratic institutions.
They won 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared to 53 for Netanyahu’s coalition. The Joint List won 11 seats and Ra’am won 8, making them crucial to forming an anti-Netanyahu majority.
The Joint List could help an anti-Netanyahu bloc take power by voting for it or by abstaining to lower the threshold needed for a majority. Either arrangement could allow opposition parties to form a government without requiring the Joint List to become part of their administration. Joining could put its lawmakers in the uncomfortable position of being part of a government waging wars in Gaza and Lebanon that they oppose.
Some of Eisenkot’s allies welcome Arab support while others are opposed, pointing to past statements by Joint List leaders they argue deny Israel’s legitimacy or support its enemies.
Tibi said he was under no illusions that a partnership with Netanyahu’s opponents would end the wars or bring about a Palestinian state. But he said a “repair government” would improve the lives of Palestinian citizens, by ending Netanyahu’s rule and also potentially addressing local issues like a wave of violent crime in Arab communities.
It’s unclear what conditions would be required
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Eisenkot has said Arab-led parties must meet certain conditions in any partnership, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that needs to be destroyed.
Tibi said the conditions do not apply to parties like the Joint List that want to provide outside support.
The Joint List and Ra’am have denounced Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack and any violence against civilians. But they have refused to brand Hamas a terrorist group or call for its destruction, saying that doing so would justify Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza.
Tibi said both the October 7 attack and Israel’s response to it were immoral.
The veteran lawmaker has long been a lightning rod for right-wing attacks on Arab parties. During Israel’s 2019 elections, Netanyahu, popularly known as Bibi, campaigned on the slogan “Bibi or Tibi?” to warn voters that opposing him meant relying on Arab-led parties to form a government.
Tibi said Tuesday that the election result had turned the slogan on its head.
“When he said Bibi or Tibi,’ he incited against Arabs,” he said. “Now, it’s Tibi,’ because Arab voters went in a very massive way to take part in the elections. It’s definitely our story this time.”
