Israel's Opposition Faces Crucial Choice to Oust Netanyahu

The election results have placed the Arab parties, which secured a record 19 seats, in an influential position. Mansour Abbas of the Ra’am faction has signaled a willingness to cooperate to remove Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from office. Similarly, the Joint List, led by Ahmad Tibi, has offered support in exchange for concrete commitments, including policies to address crime in Arab communities and a political horizon for Palestinian self-determination.

However, internal divisions remain a significant hurdle. Eisenkot has attempted to maintain his bloc’s cohesion by setting strict conditions for any partnership, such as requiring Arab parties to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and denounce Hamas. These demands have met with resistance; Amjad Shbita of the socialist Hadash party emphasized that the Joint List would only negotiate as equals. Meanwhile, figures like Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman remain opposed to any government dependent on Arab support, raising the possibility of a national unity government that could exclude these parties entirely.

Eitan Tzelgov of the University of East Anglia characterized the situation as a binary choice for the liberal bloc: govern with Arab parties or continue the current trajectory with Netanyahu. As the window for negotiations narrows, the opposition must decide if they are prepared to dismantle the ideological barriers that have long defined Israeli coalition building.