Arab Israeli parties ready to tip balance against Netanyahu in upcoming election

Ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election on Oct 27, the two principal Arab-majority parties - the United Arab List (Raam) led by Mansour Abbas and the Joint List headed by Yousef Jabareen - declared they are ready to work with opposition forces to bring down Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration. Both leaders indicated that securing roughly eight seats could enable Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc to command a majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Abbas, a former dentist, stressed the desire to become an influential partner and pointed to the inclusion of Yoav Segalovitz, a former senior police officer, as the first Jewish candidate on Raam’s list, framing it as a step toward Arab-Jewish cooperation. Jabareen, a university professor of human rights, described the Joint List as a “safety net” for an alternative government but said it would only back parties that accept its platform and specific demands. Both politicians expressed frustration with what they called a racist, hard-line government and called for a shift toward a moderate, inclusive administration.