Arab Parties in Israel Seek to Tip the Scales in Favor of Opposition to Oust Netanyahu

Arab parties in Israel recognize that they are far from achieving influential roles in governing the country, but they are certainly capable of tipping the balance in favor of one side over another in the upcoming Tuesday elections, as their base largely agrees on the necessity of ousting Benjamin Netanyahu.

In interviews with Agence France-Presse (AFP), Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List, and Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List—which comprises three parties with nationalist and communist orientations—both affirmed this goal. Both lists hope to bring down the Netanyahu government, which their members describe as “racist and fascist.”

Arab citizens in Israel are the descendants of the 160,000 Palestinians who remained in their lands after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and they now constitute about 20 percent of the population.

Speaking to AFP in the northern city of Nazareth, Mansour Abbas said, “We want to be influential partners so that we can place decisions to be made and programs to be implemented on the table of the next government to address major problems and challenges in Arab society.”

Polls in Israel indicate a tight and fierce competition between the opposition camp, led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and the camp of the current prime minister, whose government is considered the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

Eisenkot, who is seeking to attract Israeli voters from the right, is cautious about the possibility of forming a coalition that includes Arab parties, fearing it could cost him Jewish votes.

In an attempt to persuade him, Abbas has softened his rhetoric regarding the war in the Gaza Strip and violence in the West Bank, focusing his campaign on issues that enjoy broader consensus, such as the rampant crime in Arab society within Israel, home demolitions, budget allocations, and other concerns troubling his community.

In contrast, Jabareen stated that his list’s program is “a peace program based on restoring negotiations with the Palestinian leadership and establishing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.”

Crime in Arab society in Israel has reached record levels. Members of this community accuse the police, led by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, of failing to combat this organized crime effectively.

Abbas will try to leverage the experience of Segalovich, who recorded “successes in reducing crime levels in 2022. His candidacy with us undoubtedly strengthens the position and chances of the United Arab List to form an influential political partnership in the coming phase.”

A retired school principal, who preferred not to be identified, said, “What we have seen from the current government has never happened to us before.”

He pointed out that “true partnership between the two peoples in this state is the fundamental demand.”

Mansour (50) added, “We do not want wars, problems, or violence; we are tired of them.”

Several commentators believe that Arab lists may support the Eisenkot bloc without formally joining the governing coalition, which could lead to the formation of a minority government backed by Arab votes in the Knesset.

This is the option preferred by Yousef Jabareen (54), a university lecturer in law and human rights, who met with his supporters in Nazareth on Thursday.

Jabareen expressed readiness to “cooperate” to end the Netanyahu era, but he does not currently consider direct participation in an opposition-led government due to significant differences in positions regarding “the war on Gaza, Jewish terrorism in the West Bank, and racist policies and legislation against Arab citizens.”

However, he warned that this does not mean giving other parties a “blank check,” emphasizing that “this depends on their responsiveness to our proposals and demands.”

Jabarin, who hails from the city of Umm al-Fahm, is convinced that “anyone who wants to form an alternative without a majority can do so only through the Joint List.”

However, for Jabarin to play the role of “kingmaker,” he needs to raise the Arab voter turnout in the elections, and he hopes it will reach 70 percent this time.

He expects his list to win ten seats in Tuesday’s elections, while Mansour aims to secure eight seats.

He added, “We want to focus all our efforts on a single goal: bringing down the fascist right.”