Protests in Israel as Netanyahu Faces Opposition and Arab Parties

Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday to urge the opposition to ally with Arab parties to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has gone on the offensive against the minority group’s leaders.

Arab-majority parties made major gains in Tuesday’s election, fueled by anger over rhetoric targeting the community from Netanyahu’s hard-right government, but opposition chief Gadi Eisenkot has not decided whether to seek a coalition with them.

Tuesday’s election was inconclusive, with neither bloc reaching a majority in Israel’s 120-seat parliament.

Jewish-majority parties opposed to Netanyahu won 48 seats, while two Arab-majority parties, Raam and the Joint List, secured a combined 19 seats.

An alliance between the two camps would potentially give the anti-Netanyahu bloc a comfortable majority of 67 seats, but the idea is opposed by some parties in the opposition bloc.

Eisenkot, 66, a former military chief and political novice, largely shares Netanyahu’s views on security issues including Gaza, which Israel has reduced to rubble since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Eisenkot reiterated that he would only form a “Zionist government” whose members commit to the “recognition of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and liberal state” and to the “recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization,” conditions that Arab leaders have previously refused to accept.

In this context, Netanyahu’s accusations against Arab parties of electoral violations and receiving foreign support reveal the extent of the tensions surrounding efforts to form a coalition against his government. The opposition has yet to decide whether to ally with Arab parties to secure a majority in the Knesset. This escalation reflects an attempt to shift the battle from calculations of electoral votes to forming a government to political and security considerations, particularly in relation to the participation of Arab parties in power.

Today, as the deadline for President Isaac Herzog tasking a party leader to form a government approaches, the calculations for forming the next coalition seem to hinge on the opposition’s willingness to overcome its disagreements regarding a partnership with Arab parties. This is particularly relevant given that such an alliance could provide them with a sufficient parliamentary majority to end Netanyahu’s rule. However, any such rapprochement would also open the door to political confrontation with the hard-right parties and reignite the debate surrounding the participation of Arab citizens in political life and decision-making within Israel. (AFP+EIR)