Scenes from the protest (AFP)
Protestors demand Arab parties' inclusion in ‘Israeli’ government outside Eisenkot's home
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- Around 100 people protested outside Eisenkot's home in Herzliya on Thursday.
- Demonstrators called for an Arab-Jewish coalition to replace Netanyahu's government.
- Eisenkot's Yashar party won 21 seats, making it the largest opposition party.
Around 100 protesters gathered outside the home of ‘Israeli’ politician Gadi Eisenkot in Herzliya on Thursday evening, calling on him to include Arab parties in a potential governing coalition and help break the ‘Israel’s’ political deadlock.
The demonstrators urged Eisenkot, whose party won 21 seats in Tuesday's general election, to form a coalition with Arab parties and other political factions opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protest comes as ‘Israel's’ political blocs face the challenge of assembling a parliamentary majority following the election, with Arab parties emerging as a potential factor in efforts to form an alternative government.
The election results have placed Arab-led parties in a potentially decisive position. The Joint List won 11 seats and the United Arab List (Ra'am) secured eight, giving them a combined 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset. A parliamentary majority requires 61 seats.
Netanyahu's Likud won 27 seats, leaving his bloc with 53, while the four main opposition parties secured 48 seats. The results mean neither bloc can form a government without securing additional support.
The calls for cooperation come amid longstanding resistance among several Jewish-led parties to including Arab factions in a governing coalition. Eisenkot himself had ruled out such an arrangement during the election campaign, saying Arab parties did not meet his political conditions.
Arab parties have previously played a role in ‘Israeli’ coalition politics. In 2021, Ra'am became the first independent Arab party to join a governing coalition, participating in the government formed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
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