Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party declared on Sunday that it intends to seek the disqualification of two Arab-majority parties from the upcoming October 27 Knesset election. The party stated it plans to file formal requests to bar both the Joint List and the United Arab List, known as Ra’am, from the ballot.
In its announcement, Likud accused both organizations of supporting "terrorism." The party further alleged that these groups disparage Israeli soldiers and refuse to officially designate Hamas and Hezbollah as "terrorist organisations." The statement provided no evidence to support these claims.
This political maneuver occurs as Likud intensifies its criticism of former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, whose Yashar party has surfaced as Netanyahu’s primary electoral rival. Likud has characterized the two Arab parties as "natural partners" to Eisenkot, claiming that he would rely on them, alongside opposition figures Yair Golan and Avigdor Lieberman, to assemble a government coalition.
The Joint List serves as a coalition of various Arab political parties in Israel, while Ra’am, currently led by Mansour Abbas, has contested elections independently since its departure from that alliance. Notably, Ra’am made history in 2021 by becoming the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition.
Recent polling indicates that Eisenkot’s Yashar party is currently leading Likud. With neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition having secured a clear path to the 61 seats required to form a government, the ongoing political stalemate could grant Arab parties a critical role in post-election coalition negotiations.
