Arab party offers outside support to oust Netanyahu
The leader of a key Arab political party has offered to support an opposition-led Israeli government from outside the coalition to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as election results show no clear winner and Arab parties emerge as potential kingmakers.
Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List said on Wednesday that his party would not join a government coalition under current circumstances, citing Israel’s war in Gaza, settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and other issues.
“However, with the aim of bringing down this government, it would be possible for us to support an alternative government from outside the coalition,” he said.
With more than 85% of ballots counted, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc was slightly ahead but remained short of a parliamentary majority.
The Joint List and Raam, the two Arab political groupings, were projected to win a combined 19 seats, potentially giving them a decisive role in determining the next government.
Both Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads a broad opposition bloc, have said they would seek to form the next government.
Jabareen said voters had called for new leadership and that anyone offering a genuine alternative to Netanyahu would have to engage with Arab parties.
He framed the choice as one between continued exclusion and a partnership between Jewish and Arab citizens.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s Likud party accused Arab parties of stealing the election, alleging vote-buying, threats, violence and other irregularities.
It said it was submitting testimonies and evidence to the authorities.
Netanyahu had made similar accusations during voting on Tuesday, singling out Raam and alleging attempts to steal the election.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee said police had arrested individuals suspected of trying to bribe voters before they reached polling stations.
Police confirmed that three people had been arrested overnight on suspicion of buying votes for Raam, with envelopes and more than 24,000 shekels (about $7,900) in cash seized. The case remains under investigation.
Raam leader Mansour Abbas accused Netanyahu of lying and inciting against his party to mobilise radical Jewish voters.
Eisenkot’s party also accused the prime minister of laying the groundwork to challenge the election results.
Yair Golan, head of Israel’s main left-wing party and a member of Eisenkot’s camp, called for an alliance with Arab parties, saying Netanyahu had lost and urging an end to what he described as racist divisions between Jewish and Arab voters.
However, Eisenkot’s camp also includes right-wing politicians who oppose cooperation with Arab lawmakers, complicating efforts to form an alternative government.