Palestinian leaders in Israel have invited the Arab community of the country to participate widely in next week's elections to achieve their goal of ousting Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and ending the most right-wing government in Israel's history.
Call for Widespread Participation
The high participation of the 21% Arab minority, who are ethnically Palestinian and Israeli citizens, could change the complex coalition equations in Israel in favor of the anti-Netanyahu bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot. Mansour Abbas, a dentist and Islamic politician, and head of the United Arab List, announced in his office in Nazareth: "We can guarantee the formation of a new change government."
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Challenges on the Coalition Path
Abbas and other Arab leaders face a significant obstacle in their goal. Eisenkot has generally rejected forming a government with Arab parties that most Israeli Palestinians would vote for, citing a lack of shared values. However, Abbas believes that after the voting, there may be room for maneuver. Polls indicate that Eisenkot's bloc, consisting of centrist, right, and left parties, will receive the most votes but will not reach a majority and will need Arab support to form a minority government.
In this regard, Abbas stated: "We want to replace Netanyahu's right-wing government... to end the wars and these policies and to put an end to the expansion of settlements."
Concerns About Political Future
The Israeli elections are the first elections since Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, and are seen as a referendum on the leadership of Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister. Polls show that Eisenkot's bloc would secure 52 out of 120 Knesset seats if elections were held now, while Netanyahu's religious-nationalist bloc would have 50 seats.
On the eve of the voting, Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu's right-wing finance minister, has proposed a plan to "Judaize" areas around Nazareth and in southern Israel where most Arabs live. Organizers of Abbas's party in Nazareth hope to leverage Arab anger towards Netanyahu and Smotrich to boost voter turnout.
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