Hundreds of demonstrators gathered across Israel to demand the formation of a new governing coalition that formally includes Arab parties, aiming to bring a definitive end to the political era of outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protests followed election results that produced a parliamentary majority for an anti-Netanyahu bloc.
In northern Israel, approximately 300 people rallied in the Jezreel Valley to advocate for the integration of Arab factions into the next administration. Simultaneously, another group of several hundred people assembled in central Tel Aviv’s Habima Square with identical demands. Participants in Tel Aviv displayed placards in both Hebrew and Arabic that read, "67 seats. Let's take a new path," referencing the total number of seats secured by the anti-Netanyahu factions in the 120-member Knesset, a count that includes the Arab Joint List and Ra'am.
The grassroots movement Standing Together, which promotes Jewish-Arab political equality and partnership, took an active role in the demonstrations. Protesters chanted, "Without partnership, there is no peace," while calling for "freedom and equality for all" and an end to "divide and rule" tactics. Additionally, demonstrators demanded the release of journalist Abd Abu Shahadeh, who was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of maintaining contact with a foreign agent following a trip to Doha where he interviewed former Knesset member Azmi Bishara.
These rallies occurred just before Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced his intent to task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with the formation of the next government. While the opposition to Netanyahu holds 67 seats—including 19 from the two Arab lists—compared to the 53 seats held by Netanyahu-aligned parties, most mainstream opposition leaders remain reluctant to rely on Arab factions. Without the support of these parties, the traditional opposition commands only 48 seats, failing to reach the 61-seat threshold required to govern.
