Arab parties in Israeli Knesset meet to coordinate efforts to replace Netanyahu government

The meeting came two days before Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to begin consultations on Wednesday with parties elected to the 120-member Knesset to determine which lawmaker should be tasked with forming a government.

Arab parties secured 19 seats in last Tuesday’s elections, while Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats and opposition parties obtained 48, according to preliminary results.

Neither bloc secured the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

Ahmad Tibi, head of the Joint List’s parliamentary bloc, posted a photograph of the meeting on US social media company X.

“A coordination and consultation meeting between the leadership of the Joint List and the United Arab List,” Tibi wrote.

He said the objective was to “bring down the Netanyahu, (Itamar) Ben-Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich government and replace it with a government of change.”

The photograph showed Tibi alongside Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, National Democratic Assembly representative Bakr Awawdeh and United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas.

The meeting comes as political consultations intensify ahead of Herzog’s discussions with parties over who should receive the mandate to form the next government.

On Sunday, the Together party, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, announced that it would recommend Yeshar party leader Gadi Eisenkot for the premiership.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Monday that the Democrats party, led by Yair Golan, was also moving toward recommending Eisenkot.

Channel 12 quoted Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman as saying he would recommend Eisenkot to Herzog.

Arab lawmakers have also signaled that they may recommend Eisenkot in an effort to prevent Netanyahu from forming another government.

If all 19 Arab lawmakers join the opposition parties in recommending Eisenkot, he could receive the backing of 67 lawmakers, compared with 53 for Netanyahu’s bloc.

Such an outcome could influence Herzog’s decision on whom to task first with forming a government, despite Netanyahu’s Likud remaining the largest individual party in the Knesset.

Netanyahu, 76, has served five nonconsecutive terms as prime minister, making him Israel’s longest-serving premier.

He has led the current government since late 2022, heading a coalition widely described as the most far-right in Israel’s history.

Netanyahu is currently on trial on corruption charges, including bribery, fraud and breach of trust, which could carry prison sentences if he is convicted.

​​​​​​​He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court under an arrest warrant issued in 2024 over accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.