Joint List offers to back anti-Netanyahu government: Report

The Arab Joint List has offered to support an opposition-led government in Israel, aimed at replacing the current coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a senior party leader named Ahmad Tibi. This development comes after an inconclusive election that left Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats and his opponents with 67 out of the total 120 seats in the Knesset.

Tibi urged opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to collaborate with the Joint List, drawing parallels to former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's strategy of seeking Arab support for the Oslo Accords. However, Tibi clarified that the Joint List would not join the cabinet and demanded specific conditions for its support, including a diplomatic process for a Palestinian state, a plan to address violent crime in Arab communities, and a halt to home demolitions.

These demands may pose challenges for opposition parties that have criticized Palestinian statehood. The Joint List also denied allegations of foreign funding, attributing the investigation by the Shin Bet to political motives. President Isaac Herzog has called on leaders to accept the election results and work towards forming a stable government, emphasizing the need to move forward from the Hamas massacre in October 2023.

Despite the potential of Arab factions' support for an opposition candidate, several Jewish-led opposition parties have declined to join a coalition with Arab factions, complicating efforts to form a majority.