'Give peace a chance': Israeli protesters urge opposition to ally with Arab parties

A coalition government is formed when several parties share power because no single party has enough parliamentary seats to govern alone. In Israel, this can require parties with different identities and policies to agree on a common program. Such alliances matter because they determine who can command a majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Here, Jewish-majority parties opposed to Netanyahu won 48 seats. Raam and the Joint List won 19 seats together. If these groups cooperated, they could reach 67 seats, giving the anti-Netanyahu camp a comfortable majority. The arrangement could involve formal membership in government or outside support for key votes.

The idea remains uncertain. Gadi Eisenkot says he wants a Zionist government whose members recognize Israel as Jewish, democratic, and liberal, and recognize Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Arab leaders have previously refused those conditions. Eisenkot has not explicitly rejected their external support, however, leaving coalition talks politically significant.

Israel's parliament has 120 seats, so a governing majority requires at least 61. The election produced two important numbers. Jewish-majority parties opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu won 48 seats. The two Arab-majority parties, Raam and the Joint List, won 19 seats combined.

Those figures show why the Arab parties became central to coalition arithmetic. The 48-seat anti-Netanyahu bloc was short of a majority. Adding the Arab parties' 19 seats would bring the potential alliance to 67 seats. That would give the opposition a comfortable majority, at least numerically.

The numbers do not guarantee a government. Parties must still agree on political conditions and whether Arab parties would join formally or offer outside support. Gadi Eisenkot says he wants a Zionist government with specific commitments. Some opposition parties also oppose relying on Arab lists, so the seat totals create an opportunity, not a settled outcome.

The election produced no clear winner because neither bloc won a parliamentary majority. Israel's parliament has 120 seats, and a majority requires at least 61. The Jewish-majority parties opposed to Netanyahu won 48 seats, while Arab-majority parties won 19 together. Their separate positions left both sides short of control.

When no bloc reaches a majority, parties negotiate to form a coalition. They may share ministerial power, agree on common policies, or support a government from outside. In this case, combining the 48 opposition seats with the 19 Arab-party seats could produce 67 seats. That arithmetic explains why Arab support has become decisive.

The article leaves the next step unresolved. Eisenkot has not decided whether to seek a coalition with Arab parties, and some opposition parties oppose the idea. If negotiations fail, Israel cannot form a stable majority government through the normal process; under established parliamentary practice, another election may eventually be required.

Raam and the Joint List are Arab-majority political parties in Israel. The article presents them as the main parliamentary representatives of the Arab community, which accounts for around 20 percent of Israel's population. Together, they made major gains in the election and secured 19 seats.

Their importance comes from the numbers. Jewish-majority parties opposed to Netanyahu won 48 seats. Adding Raam and the Joint List would create a potential 67-seat alliance in the 120-seat parliament. That is comfortably above the 61 seats needed for a majority. The parties could either join a coalition or provide support from outside it.

Their role is politically controversial. Gadi Eisenkot says he wants a Zionist government with commitments that Arab leaders have previously refused. Some opposition parties also reject dependence on Arab lists. Yet Eisenkot has not explicitly ruled out external Arab support, so Raam and the Joint List could determine whether the opposition forms a government.

Arab parties have rarely joined Israeli governments because political cooperation has faced strong disagreements over Israel's identity, security, and relations with Palestinian groups. The article does not give a complete historical explanation, but it shows that Arab leaders have previously rejected conditions sought by Gadi Eisenkot. Some opposition parties also oppose relying on Arab lists.

The one formal exception was Raam's participation in a coalition led by its leader, Mansour Abbas. That government lasted from 2021 to 2022, making the experiment short-lived. Abbas has said he is willing to join another government, so Raam remains open to repeating that approach.

The earlier coalition demonstrates both possibility and risk. Arab parties can provide the seats needed to create a majority, but agreement may be fragile. In the current election, Raam and the Joint List hold 19 seats together. Their support could help form a government, while disagreements could prevent one.

If Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc accepts Arab parties' support, it could gain a governing majority and potentially oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The possible alliance would combine 48 seats held by Jewish-majority opposition parties with 19 seats held by Raam and the Joint List. That would produce 67 seats in the 120-seat parliament.

The key mechanism could be formal coalition membership or outside support. Eisenkot says he wants a Zionist government whose members recognize Israel as a Jewish, democratic, and liberal state and recognize Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Arab leaders have previously refused those conditions. Eisenkot has not explicitly rejected their external support, leaving room for a looser arrangement.

The political result would therefore be both stronger and more complicated. The bloc could replace Netanyahu, but it would need to maintain cooperation among parties with different positions. Some opposition parties oppose dependence on Arab lists. The government's stability would depend on continued support and workable agreements.

In a proportional-representation system, parties receive parliamentary seats broadly according to the share of votes they win, rather than one party taking all seats in each area. Israel's parliament has 120 seats. This system allows several parties, including Arab-majority parties, to gain representation and makes the final chamber politically diverse.

The election illustrates the mechanism. Jewish-majority parties opposed to Netanyahu won 48 seats, while Raam and the Joint List won 19 together. Neither bloc reached the 61-seat majority needed to govern alone. Combining their seats could create a 67-seat alliance, showing how vote shares become bargaining power during coalition talks.

Proportional representation therefore turns elections into negotiations. Parties must find partners, agree on policies, and decide whether support is formal or external. In this case, disagreements over Zionism, security, and dependence on Arab lists may still block cooperation. The system makes alliances necessary, but it does not make them easy.