JERUSALEM — Arab parties are set to back opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, potentially enabling him to form a minority government and block Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from securing a parliamentary majority in the aftermath of Israel's general election. The Joint List and Ra'am, which won a combined 19 seats — the Joint List with 11 and Ra'am with 8 — have indicated willingness to cooperate with Eisenkot to remove Netanyahu from power, though they have ruled out joining his cabinet. This development comes as Netanyahu's coalition of Jewish conservative and far-right parties won 53 seats, while Eisenkot's opposition bloc secured 48 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, leaving neither with the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.
The Arab parties' support could allow Eisenkot to reach the threshold required to form a government, even without joining a formal coalition. Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen stated his party would cooperate with the "Change" bloc to oust Netanyahu and far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, clarifying they have no intention of joining an Eisenkot government but would vote with it in the Knesset. That arrangement would enable Eisenkot to form a minority government. Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas conditionally said he would join an Eisenkot government if given the internal security portfolio.
Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed without proof that Arab parties committed election fraud with foreign backing. His Likud party cited a handful of cases, including the arrests of three political activists who allegedly bribed voters before polls opened, with suspected connections to the Ra'am party, though the party denies involvement. Israeli election officials have rejected allegations that the vote integrity was undermined, and an Israeli court has released one suspect and ordered another to house arrest regarding voter bribery allegations.
Arab Israeli citizens turned out in record numbers, with voter turnout among Arab sectors doubling to about 80 percent. Arab Israelis, who make up a fifth of the population, have long been marginalized in politics, but their increased engagement has reshaped the parliamentary math. Protesters gathered outside Eisenkot's home expressing opposition to a potential alliance with Arab parties.
President Isaac Herzog will begin meeting with leaders of the 11 parties elected to parliament at his residence, with the meetings to be livestreamed. He will then choose the candidate he thinks is most likely to form a coalition government. With Arab parties now expected to name Eisenkot as their preferred partner, the opposition leader could be the frontrunner to receive Herzog's nomination. Eisenkot or Netanyahu will be given 28 days to form a coalition; if that fails, the negotiation period can be extended by 14 days, after which Herzog might ask another candidate to try. Although a unity government between Netanyahu and the opposition bloc remains a possibility, or Netanyahu attempting to pull at least eight members of the opposition bloc, the current trajectory suggests Eisenkot may have the best chance of forming the next government.
The election results are to be certified on Wednesday. Knesset parliamentarians will be sworn in on November 10 regardless of the coalition talks, setting the stage for a potentially historic shift in Israel's government formation process.
