TEL AVIV, 07 Nov. - (ANA) - The Palestinian Joint List announced on Thursday that it would back opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form Israel's next government, joining fellow Palestinian party Ra'am in a move that could bring an end to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule.

 

All 19 Palestinian lawmakers have now endorsed Eisenkot, potentially giving him the backing of 67 members of the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 53 for Netanyahu.

 

The decision means that President Isaac Herzog is likely to nominate Eisenkot to form a government. The president said Thursday he will announce his decision on 8 November.

 

However, the Joint List criticised the Zionist opposition's reluctance to cooperate with Palestinian parties and its failure to challenge Netanyahu's incitement against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

 

"Despite our determination to bring down Netanyahu, the opposition camp led by Eisenkot has not yet demonstrated the required willingness to confront Netanyahu's path and fight against incitement toward Arab citizens," the party said in a statement.

 

The party said its unanimous decision had not been easy, but that it wanted to widen the gap between Eisenkot and Netanyahu in the presidential recommendations.

 

Joint List's decision follows the announcement that Palestinian party Ra'am will back Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot.

 

The decision, announced on Wednesday, gives Eisenkot the expected backing of 56 lawmakers against 53 for Netanyahu, strengthening his chances of being tasked with forming a government following last week's inconclusive election.

 

A total of 61 members of the Knesset are required to form a majority.

 

However, deep divisions within the anti-Netanyahu opposition over cooperating with Palestinian parties threaten to prevent a change of government, despite the prime minister losing his parliamentary majority.

 

Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, secured eight seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the Palestinian-led Joint List won 11, giving Palestinian parties a record 19 seats and potentially decisive influence over the formation of Israel's next government.

 

Together with the 48 lawmakers belonging to Zionist opposition parties, they constitute a potential 67-seat anti-Netanyahu majority, although several opposition leaders have ruled out relying on Palestinian support.

 

 

 

 

In a video statement on Wednesday, Netanyahu accused Palestinian political parties of supporting terrorism and warned that an opposition government dependent on their backing would threaten Israel's survival.

 

"It threatens us from abroad through Iran and its proxies, and from within through Islamist parties that support terrorism," Netanyahu said, referring to what he described as the threat of "radical Islam".

 

He also claimed Palestinian parties sought to undermine Israel's Jewish identity, arguing that a government dependent on them would be unable to confront the country's enemies.

 

The prime minister has separately promoted allegations of electoral fraud and foreign interference involving Palestinian parties, although Israeli election authorities have rejected claims that the integrity of the vote was systematically compromised.

 

His latest attacks come despite Netanyahu himself having courted Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas following the 2021 election in an unsuccessful attempt to secure parliamentary support.

 

Ra'am subsequently joined the coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, becoming the first independent Palestinian party to participate in an Israeli governing coalition.

 

 

 

 

Despite its numerical advantage, the anti-Netanyahu camp remains divided over whether Palestinian lawmakers should be permitted to help determine the next government.

 

Daniel Levy, a political analyst and former Israeli peace negotiator, told The New Arab that the principal obstacle was the Zionist ideology shared by most opposition parties.

 

"If you want a one word answer to the biggest obstacle, it's Zionism," Levy said.

 

He noted that 40 of the 48 Zionist opposition lawmakers represent parties that committed themselves to refusing cooperation with Palestinian parties in forming a government.

 

Eisenkot, whose Yashar party emerged as the largest opposition faction, has insisted that prospective partners recognise Israel as a "Jewish and democratic" state and accept other conditions, including describing Hamas as a terrorist organisation that must be destroyed.

 

Meanwhile, right-wing politician Avigdor Lieberman, who leads the Yisrael Beitenu party, has rejected both Netanyahu and the formation of a minority government dependent on Palestinian lawmakers, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett has also opposed such an arrangement.

 

Their positions reflect both ideological objections to Palestinian political participation and concerns about alienating Jewish Israeli voters.

 

Levy said the opposition faced a contradiction between its portrayal of Netanyahu as an existential threat to Israel and its refusal to cooperate with Palestinian representatives who could remove him.

 

He suggested that Netanyahu could exploit these divisions to prevent the formation of an alternative government, potentially remaining caretaker prime minister until another election.

 

 

 

 

Despite the divisions, both Ra'am and the Joint List have signalled their willingness to help remove Netanyahu, although their political approaches differ.

 

Ra'am has prioritised securing public investment, improved services and protections for Palestinian communities, while the Joint List has placed greater emphasis on Palestinian national rights and opposition to Israeli occupation.

 

Levy suggested that the opposition could first test cooperation with Palestinian representatives when the new Knesset convenes on 10 November, including through attempts to elect a new parliamentary speaker and take control of its agenda.

 

"Working together in parliament is not going into government together," he said.

 

Such cooperation could gradually weaken opposition resistance to relying on Palestinian lawmakers, although parties may also seek support from ultra-Orthodox factions traditionally aligned with Netanyahu.

 

Nevertheless, Levy cautioned that even Netanyahu's removal would offer Palestinians only limited prospects for substantial political change.

 

"No one is arguing for an end to settlement, an end to occupation, an end to apartheid," he said.

 

For Palestinian voters, he argued, the election represented an attempt to prevent further deterioration rather than an expectation of equality under a new government.

 

"This does not promise a good tomorrow, it might promise a less threatening tomorrow and that's what they're striving to achieve."   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/07 November 2026 - - -