Arab parties offer backing to coalition seeking to oust Netanyahu

Arab lawmakers in Israel signaled willingness to support an anti-Netanyahu coalition after record Arab voter turnout, potentially ending decades of precedent against backing Jewish-led governments. The Joint List's support could prove crucial in forming a new government. The Joint List won 11 seats and Ra'am won 8 in the 120-member Knesset, while Netanyahu's coalition holds 53 seats and opponents hold 48. Lawmaker Ahmad Tibi said the bloc would support an anti-Netanyahu government without joining it, though Jewish-led factions remain divided over partnering with parties that reject Israel's identity as a Jewish state. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has demanded Arab parties call Hamas a terrorist group, which the Joint List refuses to do. Only one Arab party, Ra'am, has ever served in an Israeli government, in 2021.