The Joint List would become the third largest faction in the Knesset if elections were held today, according to the results of a poll broadcast last night (Monday, May 25) on Channel 13 News. According to the poll, the Joint List would win 16 seats, while Likud drops to 23 seats and “Beyachad” falls to 21 seats. In this scenario, Netanyahu’s extremist right-wing bloc drops to 53 seats, while the Zionist opposition bloc falls to 51 seats. To form an alternative government, the opposition parties would need the Joint List to secure a majority of 67 Knesset members.
Archiv: the Israeli Left
The farce of Israel’s ‘liberal’ investigative journalism
Two weeks ago, the investigative program HaMakor on Israel’s Channel 13 aired a 60-minute report on the December 2023 killing of three Israeli hostages — Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer Al-Talalka — who were shot by Israeli soldiers in Shuja’iya, eastern Gaza City, after emerging from a hiding place carrying a white flag.
Even without intimate knowledge of the details, one thing should have been clear from the outset: When soldiers fire from inside buildings at three shirtless men carrying a white flag, kill two of them, then pursue the third, call him out of hiding, and shoot him dead, the issue is not merely “mistaken identity.” The issue is that Israeli soldiers routinely shoot innocent people. One would have to be extraordinarily naïve to believe that the single time this happened, the victims just happened to be Israelis.
Joint List Factions Ready to Form Alliance of Independent Parties Ahead of Elections.
According to Jabareen, “The dissolution of the Joint List in 2021 was a severe mistake that cost the Arab public political power and influence. Today, everyone understands this.” He added that despite ideological gaps with Ra’am, “The price of running separately will be unbearable—a drop in voter turnout and the continuation of the far-right rule.” He also emphasized that intensive talks are underway to reach agreements: “We are doing everything we can to bring hope back to our public.”
Representatives from Hadash and two Arab partiers, Balad, and Ta’al held a joint meeting last night to accelerate the reunification of the Joint List and remove obstacles toward an agreement. The three parties emphasized their consensus on core political issues and highlighted the importance of ongoing political and parliamentary coordination after the elections.
In a joint statement, the parties declared: “We would like Ra’am to be a partner in the political agreement, but we are aware of the significant gaps between our positions regarding the character and path of the Joint List. Nevertheless, recognizing the importance of unity against existential threats, the parties expressed willingness to reach an agreement with Ra’am based on a ‘technical joint list’ for the elections, aiming to raise voter turnout, strengthen Arab representation, and topple the far-right government.”
The Bill to Dissolve the Knesset Passed Its Preliminary Reading; MK Odeh: ‘The Evil Govt is Ending its Path’
Earlier, a similar bill to dissolve the Knesset, introduced by the Hadash faction, was debated but failed, with 52 opposition lawmakers voting in favor and 61 against. “The worst government ever, responsible for bloodshed on a horrific scale, is coming to an end,” MK Ayman Odeh stated in the Knesset plenum while presenting his faction’s bill. “We are at a historic crossroads,” he emphasized
Arab parties meeting to discuss reuniting into Joint List bloc
Last month, the Hadash party announced that it would promote direct dialogue with other Arab parties to explore the revival of the Joint List, which at its peak in 2015 and 2020 became the third-largest bloc in the Knesset and briefly held kingmaker influence.
The Hadash source said that several discussions have since taken place but that Monday’s was the first to be publicized, signaling “momentum.”
The bloc split due to internal fighting in 2021 when Mansour Abbas’s Islamist United Arab List (Ra’am) broke away and it collapsed the following year ahead of the 2022 election.
Occupation Soldiers Detained Solidarity Delegations Supporting Palestinian Victims of Settlers Terror
he delegations to Bethlehem and the Jordan Valley, were stopped by soldiers and police officers, and activists held protests on the scene. In other areas, activities proceeded as planned. “While settler terror gangs operated across the West Bank unhindered, the police and army blocked hundreds of activists this morning who came to demonstrate solidarity with the victims,” one of the participants told Zo Haderekh.
Hundreds of activists from a wide range of organizations took part in the protest, including Partnership for Peace, Rabbis for Human Rights, Peace Now, Hadash, Zazim, The Parents Circle-Families Forum, Standing Together, Jordan Valley Activists, Looking the Occupation in the Eye, Women Wage Peace, A Land for All, Combatants for Peace, Breaking the Silence, and Mothers Against Violence.
Partnership for Peace stated: “Hundreds of Israelis who set out to oppose terror and demand the state enforce the law in the occupied territories were detained at all checkpoints. It was proven that when the army wants to, it can act efficiently. We expect authorities to show the same determination in protecting innocent people who undergo daily violent pogrom attacks. We will not stop striving for peace, justice, and equality for all residents of the region.” “We will continue the struggle against the occupation and ethnic cleansing! They will not succeed in stopping us!” they emphasized.
Arab parties clash over delayed Joint List agreement, but deny breakdown in talks
(April 5, 2026)
While acknowledging that there was a “heated meeting,” the source added that “such disagreements are natural” and said that another meeting will take place in the coming weeks.
MK Odeh: Will do Everything to Prevent Smotrich-Netanyahu-Ben Gvir from Continuing in Power
Smotrich’s comments drew immediate condemnation from the opposition, with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas asserting that “human life holds no value in his eyes”. MK Ayman Odeh, the chairman of Hadash-Ta’al parliamentary faction, also slammed Smotrich, declaring on X that “what the racists and Kahanists say is not important, what matters is what we will do.” “And we, the Arab citizens, together with the democratic Jews, will do everything, simply everything, to prevent Smotrich-Netanyahu-Ben Gvir from continuing to another term,” Odeh wrote.
ועידת השלום העממית المؤتمر الشعبي للسلام The People’s Peace Summit
Who We Are
“It’s Time” is a coalition of over 80 peacebuilding and shared society organizations, working together with determination and courage to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a political agreement that will ensure both peoples‘ right to self-determination and secure lives.
Because it’s time. Now, amidst our anger, grief and pain, after long years of fear and violence, of struggle, of occupation and of terrorism. The war that broke out on October 7th must be the last war, and it can be: the war after which will come peace.
Thousands Participated in the People’s Peace Conference in Tel Aviv
(May 1, 2026)
More than 4,000 people participated yesterday, Thursday, April 30, in the People’s Peace Conference held at the Expo Tel Aviv, initiated by the “It’s Time” coalition. Over 80 organizations, movements, and non-profits took part in the event, which was dedicated to building public support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, ending the occupation, and achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace. This is the third annual conference organized by the coalition, following large-scale events held at the Tel Aviv Arena and the International Convention Center in Jerusalem in 2024 and 2025.
MK Cassif: “Right has found its right-hand man”
When asked if a government could be formed “without the support of MKs Ahmad Tibi or Aida Touma-Sliman” from the Hadash-Ta’al faction, Bennett replied: “We have a large majority even without them.” This statement comes despite a series of recent polls indicating that the Zionist parties opposing Netanyahu are unlikely to secure a majority without the support of Hadash and the Arab parties. (…)
Following the unification, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the new “Yashar” party, called this morning for a meeting of opposition leaders excluding Hadash and Islamist Ra’am, “in order to ensure victory through Zionist and statesmanlike votes without Arabs.” In his announcement, Eisenkot mentioned the leaders of the “Together” list, Bennett and Lapid, as well as Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman and The Democrats leader Yair Golan.
Hadash Announces Primary Elections and Push for Joint List Consolidation
During the session, political leaders, including the Communist Party of Israel Secretary-General Adel Amer and Hadash Secretary Amjad Shbita, addressed the regional political situation. Discussions centered on the fragile ceasefire, the risk of renewed war on Iran and Lebanon, and the concerning rise of internal fascism and ongoing occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian territories.
“The establishment of the Joint List is not merely a tactical maneuver,” Hadash stated in an official communique. “It is a fundamental mission to shift the political balance of power and intensify the struggle against the occupation.” In addition to election preparations, Hadash leadership issued a formal call for public mobilization. Activists and supporters are urged to participate in International Workers’ Day events on Friday, May 1, in Tel Aviv, on Saturday, May 2 in Nazareth and other localities.
What Israelis can learn from the nightmares of an Iranian hangman
(April 9, 2026)
Still, compared to their Iranian counterparts, Israel’s far-right lawmakers have a long way to go. The list of offenses warranting a death sentence in Iran is dizzying in its scope, including burglary, prostitution, drug trafficking, homosexuality, political dissidence, adultery, and “waging war against God.”
Under Israel’s new law, executions are to be carried out by hanging at a facility managed by the Israel Prison Service. How dull. Here, too, Ben Gvir can take inspiration from the Islamic Republic. What about a public hanging in the town square? Entertainment for the masses is not something to scoff at in these difficult times, and it’s free of charge.
And why restrict himself to only one method? The Islamic Republic has also carried out executions by firing squad, stoning, and pushing people off a cliff. Would stoning not serve as a fitting tribute to Ben Gvir’s professed commitment to Jewish tradition?
New Poll: The Joint List Becomes the Third-largest Faction in the Knesset
Channel 13 also asked respondents how they would vote if Hadash and three Arab parties, Ra’am, Ta’al and Balad, ran together as the Joint List, as they have done in the past. In such a scenario, the Joint List would become the third largest parliamentary faction, with sixteen seats. Likud would shrink to 20 and Religious Zionism would rise to six, giving Netanyahu’s coalition a total of 53 seats, and Bennett’s party would shrink to 20 while Yashar Eisenkot’s and Democrats Golan’s parties would drop to eleven and seven, respectively, giving the Zionist opposition bloc a total of 51 seats. Hadash and the Arab parties pledged earlier this year to work to reestablish the Joint List, with little signs of progress.
Tel Aviv: Israeli protestors rally against wars in Iran and Lebanon
“In Bibi, we don’t trust,” read one banner, as protestors chanted: “No to endless wars, no to a government of death”.
“What happened immediately after the ceasefire in Iran, Israel launched one of its largest attacks in Lebanon, which in my opinion, was an attempt to try and sabotage the ceasefire with Iran,” one demonstrator told AFP.
CPI and Hadash: The Ceasefire Is a Critical Step that Must Become a Permanent Peace
The Communist Party of Israel and the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) condemned on Wednesday evening, April 8, “the heinous and horrific massacre committed by the far-right Israeli government in Lebanon, only hours after the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in the war. This is a clear sign of the crisis facing war criminals, whose aggressive policies repeatedly fail to establish what they term the New World Order. Furthermore, Netanyahu and his government understand that ending the war signifies the collapse of their legitimacy and the end of their time in power.”
“We view the ceasefire in the war with Iran as a crucial development that must be maintained, defended, and turned into a standing agreement that guarantees peace and rights for the peoples of the region, while standing firm against any Israeli attempt to thwart it. We emphasize that this war has once again exposed the failure of the policies of aggression and the imperialist bullying of the US and Israel. It has proven that the logic of force, destruction, and occupation does not create security or stability, but rather drags the entire region into further ruin and bloodshed. We reaffirm that the only path to security, stability, and a better future for all peoples of the land and the region is not the path of war and aggression, but a political path based on ending the occupation—as it is the heart of the regional conflict—and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in all territories occupied by Israel in June 1967,” they said in the common communique.
MK Odeh After Cease-Fire was Announced: ‘Netanyahu is a Liar and an International Pyromaniac’
On Wednesday morning, Hadash MK Ofer Cassif said, “Congratulations to the brilliant duo, Orange & Purple, on their impressive list of achievements (economic, strategic & political), culminating in finding the lost key to the Strait of Hormuz. We warned from the very beginning that this was nothing more than a futile and pointless war of deception that would only lead to bloodshed, widowhood, orphanhood, and devastation, without achieving anything. No to occupation, yes to peace.”
According to Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, “Israel should learn three main lessons from the war: To recognize the limitations of power. There is no stability in the region without Israeli-Palestinian peace and Netanyahu is a liar and an international pyromaniac,” he wrote.
Protests Against Imperialist US-Israeli War on Iran in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem
Dozens of Israeli activists alongside with US citizens living in Israel protested on Monday, April 6, against the imperialist US-Israeli led war on Iran and continued genocide in Gaza simultaneously in front of both a US Embassy office in Jerusalem and the US Consulate in Tel Aviv.
In Jerusalem, demonstrators marched to the front door of the Embassy office at Agron Street and laid signs against the war at the entrance. In Tel Aviv, police failed to prevent fascists from entering and harassing the protesters from the consulate at Hayarkon Street and shortly after used it as an excuse to disperse the demo. The protests were held in tandem with protests against President Donald Trump and against the war held on Monday around US cities.
High Court of Justice Petition Accusing Police of Banning Anti-War Protests
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), petitions the High Court of Justice, demanding an end to what they claim is an effective ban on political demonstrations during wartime, after police forcefully dispersed several protests against the government this past week. ACRI filed the on behalf of Itamar Greenberg, a student and leading Hadash activist arrested twice in the past weeks for partaking in demonstrations against the Iran war and the recently passed death penalty law.
Video: Israeli activist arrested as police disperse anti-war protest
Israeli activist Alon-Lee Green was arrested after police moved in on an anti-war protest in Tel Aviv, detaining multiple demonstrators as officers forcibly dispersed the gathering.
Green, a leading figure in the Jewish-Arab movement Standing Together, had joined protesters opposing Israel’s ongoing war and assault on neighbouring countries and its escalation across the region, as well as the genocide and destruction in Gaza.
Four Arrested in Protest at Knesset Against Death Penalty Law for Palestinians, Petitions to Supreme Court
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding the repeal of the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law”, minutes after it passed its second and third readings in the Knesset. On Tuesday morning, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), HaMoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, Physicians for Human Rights and Gisha, together with Hadash-Ta’al MKs Aida Touma-Sliman, Ayman Odeh, and Ahmed Tibi, filed a second urgent petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, demanding that the “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law” be declared null and void. The petitioners argue that the law represents a complete negation of the right to life and imposes cruel and inhuman punishment.
“All those who supported, let alone proposed this bill, should be tried by The Hague.” Ofer Cassif, a member of the Israeli Knesset, has condemned the death penalty bill approved on Monday for Palestinian detainees, labeling it a “genocide law”
(video)
Israeli police use water cannon to disperse people protesting death penalty law
Israeli police used a water cannon on Tuesday to disperse dozens of protesters in Jerusalem after Israel‘s parliament approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. (AP Video: Paz Bar).
Former Interim President of Israel Avraham Burg Speaks Out on Netanyahu’s Killing Spree
(March 24, 2026)
Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Knesset and interim president of Israel, on why Netanyahu can never settle, only kill.
Israel turning execution of Palestinians into official state policy
The penalty – execution by hanging – must be carried out within 90 days of sentencing, with no possibility of pardon. The death penalty will be determined in military courts where only Palestinians are tried. These courts have an approximately 96% conviction rate, based largely on “confessions” extracted under duress and torture during interrogations.
The death penalty will be the default sentence, and judges will be able to commute it to life imprisonment only in special circumstances. In addition, the judges will no longer be required to reach a unanimous decision.
Knesset Passes Apartheid Law Mandating Death Penalty for Palestinians
Racist National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the law’s strongest backers, has repeatedly worn a noose-shaped lapel pin, symbolizing executions under the bill. He described hanging as “one of the options”, alongside the electric chair.
According to the Communist Party of Israel, “death penalty for Arabs law Is a racist legislation that entrenches legal apartheid against Palestinians.”
The Hadash–Ta’al faction also strongly condemned the Knesset’s approval today of the “Death Penalty for Palestinians law. “This law is not merely a punitive measure—it is an official declaration of the institutionalization of apartheid and racism, and the transformation of the legal system into yet another tool in the violent political repression of the Palestinian people.”
Based on the principle of the sanctity of life, Hadash–Ta’al opposes the death penalty under all circumstances and against any person, “but more when it comes to selective, racist legislation that contradicts Israel’s obligations under international law.”
Hadash MKs Visited Bani Odeh Children’s, Their Parents and Two Young Brothers Were Murdered by Occupation Soldiers
(March 19, 2026)
Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, Ofer Cassif and Aida Touma-Sliman visited on Tuesday evening, March 17, Khaled and Mustafa Bani Odeh whose parents and their two young children were murdered by occupation forces on last Saturday, demands justice and above all demands an end to the occupation “for as long as the occupation continues crimes like these are not rare, they are a part of our daily lives.”
The Palestinian man, his wife, and their two children were killed after midnight by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Tammun, south of Tubas, while their two other children were injured by shrapnel. WAFA reported that Israeli special forces infiltrated the town, followed by military reinforcements arriving from the Ein Shibli checkpoint and the Tayasir checkpoint.
Forces opened fire on a vehicle, killing Ali Khaled Bani Odeh, 37, his wife Waad Othman Bani Odeh, 35, and their two children, Mohammed, 5, and Othman, 7. Their other two children, Mustafa, 8, and Khaled, 11, sustained minor shrapnel injuries to the head and face. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israeli forces prevented its crews from reaching the injured inside the vehicle and forced them to leave the area before later allowing them to retrieve the four bodies — a man, a woman, and two children — along with the two injured children.