Israel political deadlock leaves Netanyahu’s future hanging in the balance

In the wake of Israel's October 27 parliamentary elections, the political landscape remains uncertain as the opposition leaders meet to discuss forming a new government. The five party heads, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman, agreed to coordinate efforts to replace the Netanyahu-led government with a national emergency government, according to Al Jazeera. However, the opposition remains divided over cooperation with Arab-led parties.

Eisenkot's bloc secured 48 seats, while Netanyahu's party won 53. The Arab-led parties, Ra'am and the Joint List, received 19 seats and may play a crucial role as potential kingmakers in the government formation. The opposition leaders agreed to four principles, including recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and designating Hamas as a terrorist organization. These conditions could exclude some Arab-led parties from joining the coalition.

Yousef Jabareen, head of the largest Arab-led party, acknowledged the need for the opposition to accept the political reality and join forces to remove Netanyahu. Golan, the sole opposition leader who has supported forming an alliance with Arab parties, also met with leaders of these parties to take action against crimes faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel. However, Liberman, who leads Beytenu, firmly opposes aligning with Arab-led parties despite a desire to avoid another election.