Joint List Eyes Kingmaker Role to Oust Netanyahu in Tuesday Vote
(MENAFN) The Arab-led Joint List is the “decisive” force in any bid to keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from clinging to power, its parliamentary leader Ahmad Tibi said, setting out the terms on which it would give an alternative government a parliamentary safety net.
Speaking to a news agency, Tibi called next Tuesday’s Knesset elections “important, fateful and dangerous.” His alliance, he said, will work with the Jewish opposition but will not sit in its government.
The Joint List unites Tibi’s Arab Movement for Change, the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, and the National Democratic Assembly, known as Balad. An Israeli daily newspaper poll released Friday projected nine seats for the bloc.
Tibi forecast higher turnout among Arab citizens, who make up roughly 20% of Israel’s more than 10 million people. Like various opinion polls, he expects neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the Jewish opposition to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority.
Deadlock math
Tibi argued that the two Jewish blocs are neck and neck, and that even adding the United Arab List, also known as Ra’am and led by Mansour Abbas, would not close the gap.
“The Jewish blocs — the opposition and the ruling coalition — are evenly matched. Even if the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, is added to the opposition bloc, it would reach only 56 or 57 seats, which would not be enough to bring down Netanyahu’s government,” Tibi said.
He said only his alliance can tip the balance.
“Only the Joint List is the decisive list that guarantees the removal of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich and (National Security Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir,” he said.
“The stronger the Joint List, the easier it will be to remove the government of crime, war and failure: Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.”
Blocking a caretaker government
Tibi said the Joint List would cooperate with the opposition to stop Netanyahu from forming a government, or from staying on at the head of a caretaker administration until fresh elections.
“Netanyahu will not be able to form a right-wing government. He wants to prevent (Yashar leader Gadi) Eisenkot or the opposition from forming a government, so he wants to remain prime minister of a caretaker government,” he said.
“We in the Joint List are willing and ready to cooperate to prevent him from continuing to head a caretaker government. Parliamentarily, this is possible.”
He would not say how such a scenario would unfold, adding that his alliance was the first to call for removing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
“I do not want to go into the details. This is possible parliamentarily, and the Joint List will help and vote in favor of it,” he said.
“We want to vote against him (Netanyahu) alongside the opposition and vote in favor of the opposition. This is natural, but it will change the current rules of the game inside parliament.”
Price of a safety net
Pressed on what it would take to back Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief, Tibi said any deal must protect Arab citizens.
“There must be a safety net for our community and our issues: crime and violence, personal security, house demolitions, the Kaminitz Law, an end to incitement and racism against our doctors, our nurses, bus drivers and every Arab in this country, much larger budgets and infrastructure,” he said.
The Kaminitz Law governs enforcement against unauthorized construction, including the demolition of Arab homes.
“We also want a political horizon, which is an important source of hope. We will raise all these issues with anyone who wants us to help provide a safety net or support votes here and there,” Tibi said.
Such backing, he stressed, would stop short of joining a government led by the opposition. Eisenkot has said he wants a “Zionist government” committed to what he called a “Jewish Israel” and in line with his political and security positions.
“That is for those who want to join the government. We are not there,” Tibi said.
“We do not want to be responsible for incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, a war in Gaza, the continuation of Jewish terrorism and settlement activity, or house demolitions.”
Entering a coalition would bring “collective responsibility,” he said, whereas looser arrangements could allow cooperation on individual issues.
“This will contribute to removing Netanyahu’s government and paving the way for an alternative government that is less bad,” he said.
“The next government will not be our dream government. It will not be a government of peace, but it will be less bad than the government of Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.”
Asked whether he envisioned an Eisenkot-led minority government propped up by the Joint List from inside the Knesset, Tibi declined to elaborate.
“We will see the numbers, the results, how the current opposition behaves and which direction it wants to take,” he said.
“There are those calling for a national unity government. That would be bad, and it is not what the public wants, even the Israeli public. So we want to wait. We are pushing to bring down this government and establish an alternative.”
Speaking to a news agency, Tibi called next Tuesday’s Knesset elections “important, fateful and dangerous.” His alliance, he said, will work with the Jewish opposition but will not sit in its government.
The Joint List unites Tibi’s Arab Movement for Change, the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, and the National Democratic Assembly, known as Balad. An Israeli daily newspaper poll released Friday projected nine seats for the bloc.
Tibi forecast higher turnout among Arab citizens, who make up roughly 20% of Israel’s more than 10 million people. Like various opinion polls, he expects neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the Jewish opposition to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority.
Deadlock math
Tibi argued that the two Jewish blocs are neck and neck, and that even adding the United Arab List, also known as Ra’am and led by Mansour Abbas, would not close the gap.
“The Jewish blocs — the opposition and the ruling coalition — are evenly matched. Even if the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, is added to the opposition bloc, it would reach only 56 or 57 seats, which would not be enough to bring down Netanyahu’s government,” Tibi said.
He said only his alliance can tip the balance.
“Only the Joint List is the decisive list that guarantees the removal of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich and (National Security Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir,” he said.
“The stronger the Joint List, the easier it will be to remove the government of crime, war and failure: Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.”
Blocking a caretaker government
Tibi said the Joint List would cooperate with the opposition to stop Netanyahu from forming a government, or from staying on at the head of a caretaker administration until fresh elections.
“Netanyahu will not be able to form a right-wing government. He wants to prevent (Yashar leader Gadi) Eisenkot or the opposition from forming a government, so he wants to remain prime minister of a caretaker government,” he said.
“We in the Joint List are willing and ready to cooperate to prevent him from continuing to head a caretaker government. Parliamentarily, this is possible.”
He would not say how such a scenario would unfold, adding that his alliance was the first to call for removing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
“I do not want to go into the details. This is possible parliamentarily, and the Joint List will help and vote in favor of it,” he said.
“We want to vote against him (Netanyahu) alongside the opposition and vote in favor of the opposition. This is natural, but it will change the current rules of the game inside parliament.”
Price of a safety net
Pressed on what it would take to back Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief, Tibi said any deal must protect Arab citizens.
“There must be a safety net for our community and our issues: crime and violence, personal security, house demolitions, the Kaminitz Law, an end to incitement and racism against our doctors, our nurses, bus drivers and every Arab in this country, much larger budgets and infrastructure,” he said.
The Kaminitz Law governs enforcement against unauthorized construction, including the demolition of Arab homes.
“We also want a political horizon, which is an important source of hope. We will raise all these issues with anyone who wants us to help provide a safety net or support votes here and there,” Tibi said.
Such backing, he stressed, would stop short of joining a government led by the opposition. Eisenkot has said he wants a “Zionist government” committed to what he called a “Jewish Israel” and in line with his political and security positions.
“That is for those who want to join the government. We are not there,” Tibi said.
“We do not want to be responsible for incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, a war in Gaza, the continuation of Jewish terrorism and settlement activity, or house demolitions.”
Entering a coalition would bring “collective responsibility,” he said, whereas looser arrangements could allow cooperation on individual issues.
“This will contribute to removing Netanyahu’s government and paving the way for an alternative government that is less bad,” he said.
“The next government will not be our dream government. It will not be a government of peace, but it will be less bad than the government of Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.”
Asked whether he envisioned an Eisenkot-led minority government propped up by the Joint List from inside the Knesset, Tibi declined to elaborate.
“We will see the numbers, the results, how the current opposition behaves and which direction it wants to take,” he said.
“There are those calling for a national unity government. That would be bad, and it is not what the public wants, even the Israeli public. So we want to wait. We are pushing to bring down this government and establish an alternative.”
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