Paradoxically, it is the Joint List and the Islamist party Ra’am that hold the key to the opposition’s chances of dethroning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The polls could not be clearer: Without these Arab parties, the anti-Netanyahu bloc will not reach the 61 mandates required for a Knesset majority. With their support, it could topple Netanyahu — whose own bloc of loyalists looks set to fall significantly short of a majority — virtually overnight.
Archiv: Israel election scheduled for 27-10-2026
Israel begins demolitions in West Bank city after two soldiers killed in shooting attack
Hamas praised the attack in a statement but did not claim responsibility.
“Together with all the people of Israel, I pray for the full and speedy recovery of those wounded in the attack,” said Netanyahu’s main rival, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, said in a statement on X.
Over 320 Jewish and Arab Academics Call on Public to Vote for the Joint List
Among the signatories are Prof. Amos Goldberg, Prof. Orna Ophir, Prof. Khawla Abu-Baker, Prof. Oded Goldreich, Prof. Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Prof. Oren Yiftachel, Prof. Yehouda Shenhav-Shaer, Prof. Gadi Algazi, Prof. Lior Sternfeld, Prof. Omri Boehm, Prof. Nitza Berkovitch, Prof. Marwan Dwairy, Prof. Raef Zreik, Prof. Yishai Rosen-Zvi, Prof. Gerardo Leibner, Prof. Avner Ben-Amos, Prof. Avishai Ehrlich, Prof. Itzhak Nevo, Prof. Dana Ron, Dr. Anat Matar, Dr. Efraim Davidi and Dr. Ornat Turin.
The statement reads: “We will not give up on a shared future: For equality, peace, and democracy, we will vote for the Joint List. We, academics, express our support for the Joint List and the principles it represents: full equality between Jews and Palestinians; recognition of Palestinians’ civil and national rights; an end to the occupation and the pursuit of a just peace; the struggle against racism and discrimination; and free and equal political representation for all citizens.
“We are living through a period in which racism and incitement are deepening, while the political space for Jewish-Arab partnership is shrinking. The war of annihilation in Gaza, the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, the abuse of prisoners, and the rampant crime ravaging Palestinian society all reflect a destructive policy.
“We seek to stand firmly against this policy and emphasize: There is no democracy without equality, no peace without justice, and no shared future without Jewish-Arab political partnership. We believe that the lives and futures of Jews and Palestinians are intertwined, and that only a joint struggle for freedom, equality, and justice can secure a democratic future for us all. We support the Joint List, its principles, and the struggle it represents for a better life for everyone.”
Two small Arab parties may decide Israel’s election
There are about 2.1 million Arab-Israelis, making up roughly 21% of the country’s population. Their interests tend to be represented by Ra’am and the Joint List, both of which have played a more prominent role in Israeli politics in recent years.
In the aftermath of the 2021 election, the Ra‘am party leader, Mansour Abbas, joined with opposition leaders from across the political spectrum to unseat Netanyahu. This made Ra’am the first independent Arab party to join an Israeli coalition.
Naftali Bennett’s government collapsed after one year, opening the door for Netanyahu to return.
A look at the major candidates in Israel’s election Tuesday
Three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister — or usher in a new era of Israeli politics.
Polling suggests a tight race between Netanyahu, leader of the nationalist Likud party, and his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the centrist Yashar!, for control of the government.
Israel’s Election: Who’s Who and What’s at Stake?
Israel’s October 27 election could reshape the country’s political landscape, but neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies nor the opposition has a clear path to a governing majority. The outcome of the vote could determine not only who leads Israel, but how the country contends with various domestic and foreign policy concerns.
The Joint List‘s Platform: There is another way
The Joint List strives to change the existing political, social and economic reality, to fight the spread of fascism under the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, and to act to halt all Israeli wars – chief among them the war of annihilation against the Palestinian people. The list is based in principle on the political platform of the first Joint List (2015), and works to realise this vision through representing the national and civil issues of Arab society with head held high, without trading one for the other.
This vision rests on the essential connection between the national and democratic struggle and action for a safe life with dignity. Hence, we place the individual and their dignity at the centre of politics: we link the national and civil rights of the Arab public to social justice and peace, defend the security of our families and our homes, our children‘s education, our health, and jobs and a life of dignity, and act to translate our joint power into tangible change in people‘s lives. This is our platform, and these are the issues we will place at the top of our priorities:
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition on course to lose majority in Israeli elections, new poll suggests
“Israel’s election is not a single game, but a tournament — and election day is only the opening round,” Dr Nimrod Nir of Agam Labs told The Independent.
“Our polling suggests that neither bloc is likely to secure a governing majority, leaving three possible outcomes: a unity government bringing Netanyahu together with more liberal parties, an alternative coalition backed by Arab parties, or yet another election.
Day after meeting opposition chiefs, Golan says Arab parties could be in next government
(September 27, 2026)
Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, said Sunday that an Arab party could be part of the next government, exposing a fault line among opposition leaders less than a day after they met to coordinate their campaigns and pledged not to attack one another ahead of the October 27 election.
“We believe that an Arab party can be part of the government. It is natural, right, appropriate and democratic,” Golan told the Kan public broadcaster.
Poll: Arab parties reach record high of 15 Knesset seats
(October 19, 2026)
One of the most notable findings in the poll is the combined strength of the Arab parties. The Joint List, with nine seats, and Ra‘am, with five, together reach 14 seats.
In this poll, the Amcha Yisrael party and the Reservists-Economic list fail to cross the electoral threshold.
In the Channel 13 News poll, the Arab parties reach a record 15 seats.
Yair Golan accuses Netanyahu of plotting fresh Iran strikes to serve ‘political and personal considerations’
Yair Golan, the leader of the Democrats in Israel, has condemned Prime Minister Netanyahu following allegations that the premier planned fresh strikes against Iran just weeks before the upcoming Knesset elections.
Netanyahu ‚completely lacks legitimacy‘ to launch new war ahead of elections: Opposition leader Golan
His remarks came after The Financial Times reported that US President Donald Trump had rejected Netanyahu‘s plan to strike infrastructure and nuclear facilities in Iran, a military campaign that was reportedly set to begin on Oct. 10.
Trump opposes any military escalation ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm congressional elections in the US, fearing negative repercussions for the Republican Party‘s electoral prospects, according to the report.
Golan, also a former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army, said in a post on US social media platform X: „Netanyahu is a sick and weak leader clinging to power by force, willing to put Israel‘s security at risk to save himself.“
After three disastrous years, Israel needs to rethink itself. A new government would be a start
The two issues the opposition has highlighted are understandably important to Israelis. For so many citizens, the disaster of 7 October and subsequent two-year hostage crisis became a crisis of faith in the state itself. Without accountability through an independent inquiry, society cannot move on. And even staunch supporters of peace cannot tolerate the rank injustice of some citizens serving and dying in wars while others are systematically let off the hook.
But what then? Israel’s war in response to 7 October has continued to devastate Palestinian society. But the past few years have damaged Israel internally as well.
אנחנו לא שתקנו, לא שותקים ולא נשתוק. لم نصمت، لا نصمت، ولن نصمت.
(…)
אנחנו לא שתקנו, לא שותקים ולא נשתוק | لم نصمت، لا نصمت، ولن نصمت
אנחנו לא שתקנו, לא שותקים ולא נשתוק. הם מציעים עוד השמדה. אנחנו מציעים חיים.
لم نصمت، لا نصمت، ولن نصمت. هم يطرحون المزيد من الإبادة. ونحن نطرح الحياة.
לאתר המשותפת: https://jointlist.org.il/he/
إلى موقع المشتركة: https://jointlist.org.il/ar/
יש אפשרות אחרת · هنالك خيار آخر
The Joint List Releases Election Ad with Drone Footage of the Devastation in Gaza
After three years in which the scale of destruction in Gaza has remained largely hidden from the Israeli public, the Joint List has dedicated its election campaign ad to showing the reality that has been kept off Israeli screens. The ad was also aired on Israel television.
No, the Democratic Party is not shifting on Israel
(August 25, 2026)
It is a strategy that the party is likely to repeat in the next Congress to secure Israeli interests while appearing to acknowledge voters’ demands.
Furthermore, the Democratic establishment has shown little interest in breaking its dependence on AIPAC. In April, the Democratic National Committee rejected even a symbolic resolution condemning the lobby’s interference in Democratic primaries.
Trump gives ‘warrior’ Netanyahu ‘complete and total endorsement’ for reelection
“Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition,” writes Trump, “including that coming from even Israel, itself.”
Trump says Netanyahu has “endured and, in fact, he has thrived!”
“I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times,” writes Trump. “Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today. This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much.”
Israel‘s election is near, and I dare to hope for a future without Netanyahu
For a glimpse of the political culture I hope we can leave behind, consider the case of Ofer Winter, a former senior Israeli military commander who has found himself at odds with Netanyahu and his political allies. Winter is now complaining that they are treating him in ways he recognizes from stories about the mafia.
To that, I have only one response: Welcome to the club.
Fascists Attempt to Storm Joint List Election HQ in Tel Aviv
Fascists identified with the racist Otzma Yehudit party, broke into the Left Bank club in Central Tel Aviv last night (Thursday, October 15). The building also serves as the Joint List elections headquarters, and branch for Hadash and the Communist Party of Israel. The intrusion occurred during the premiere screening of the “Mesarvot” occupation army refusers network’s film, “Not Refusing to Respond,” and led to physical clashes with activists.
A dozen fascists attempted to reach the floor where the headquarters operates. Police arrived only after the activists had been removed from the premises by activists. The Joint List strongly condemned the violent break-in at the campaign’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv. “This marks a dangerous new peak in political violence within the country, representing a perilous escalation and a tangible threat to election integrity. The writing is on the wall, and we must not wait for the next incident to understand the severity of the situation and act decisively,” the statement read.
In opposition infighting, Liberman assails Eisenkot, says he’s secretly planning government with Netanyahu
In a lengthy statement, Liberman brands Eisenkot “Gantz 2,” after Blue and White party head Benny Gantz, who was the main Netanyahu rival in successive elections before deciding twice to join Netanyahu-led governments.
Eisenkot had been Gantz’s No. 2 before quitting last year to form his own party, Yashar, which has become the biggest party in most opinion polls, making Eisenkot the main challenger to Netanyahu.
אנחנו מגנים בחריפות את הפריצה האלימה הערב למטה הקמפיין העברי של הרשימה המשותפת בתל אביב.
בריוני ימין המזוהים עם עוצמה יהודית, המעורבים בקמפיין הבחירות שלה, פרצו למקום ותקפו פעילים ובני נוער שהשתתפו באירוע במועדון ״הגדה השמאלית״.
הכתובת על הקיר, ואסור לחכות לאירוע הבא כדי להבין את חומרת המצב ולפעול בנחישות.
היינו מצפים ממשטרת ישראל לחקור את האירוע ולמצות את הדין עם האחראים, אבל כשהגורמים הפוליטיים שמלבים את ההסתה הם גם אלה ששולטים במשטרה, קשה לצפות ממנה לפעול בנחישות הנדרשת.
בעוד 12 ימים, במו ידינו, נעיף את הפשיסטים מהשלטון.
00:08
Yousef Jabareen and 2 others
6:12 PM · Oct 15, 2026
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Right-Wing Activists Disrupt Tel Aviv Screening Hosted by Arab-Jewish Party
Witnesses said the activists assaulted attendees and tried to reach the floor housing the Joint List‘s election headquarters; police arrived after they were removed
Right-wing protesters storm Tel Aviv building housing Joint List campaign office
Zo HaDerekh, a communist publication affiliated with the Joint List’s Hadash faction, reported that only after the protesters left did police show up on the scene at the Left Bank, a central Tel Aviv club that houses several left-wing civil society groups and serves as the base for the Joint List.
The club was hosting the screening of a film by left-wing group Mesarvot (Hebrew for “refusers”), which calls on youth to refuse to serve in the IDF.
Joint List Headquarters in Tel Aviv Reportedly Stormed by Right-Wing Activists
The Joint List party reported that right-wing activists, including Mordechai David, violently entered its Tel Aviv election headquarters. Police arrived after the incident, and Knesset Member Ofer Cassif demanded an investigation. Hadash activists filed a police complaint regarding the break-in.
Israel’s Arab parties could be the kingmakers in its election
They are eager to change the government