Israel elections 2026: Joint List backs anti-Netanyahu bloc, supports Gadi Eisenkot to form govt | What we know

Supporting Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc without joining the government means the Joint List would help anti-Netanyahu parties win key votes, while remaining outside the cabinet. Its lawmakers would not receive ministerial posts or become government ministers. This is a form of outside parliamentary support rather than full coalition membership.

The Joint List won 11 seats. Ahmad Tibi said it wanted to help replace what he called an “awful government,” but did not want a ministerial post. The party could also support removing Likud’s Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker and creating a state commission of inquiry into the 7 October 2023 attack.

This support could help anti-Netanyahu parties form a majority, but cooperation is not guaranteed. Yousef Jabareen declined to call Hamas a terrorist organisation, while Eisenkot has made that a condition for prospective coalition partners. The Joint List’s position therefore gives it influence but leaves negotiations unresolved.

The Joint List won 11 seats in Tuesday’s election. The wider anti-Netanyahu grouping of Jewish-led opposition parties and Arab-led factions won 67 seats together. Because the Knesset has 120 members, 61 seats are needed to hold a majority. The figures show that an alternative government is numerically possible.

The key mechanism is cooperation. The 67 seats do not belong to one party or necessarily form a unified bloc. They combine several parties, including the Joint List, that must agree on a candidate and a governing arrangement. Without that agreement, the numerical advantage cannot automatically produce a government.

The result leaves negotiations central to what happens next. Likud won 27 seats, while Yashar won 21, B’Yachad 12 and the Joint List 11. The article says neither main bloc is close to 61 on its own. Talks could last more than two months, and the new Knesset will still be sworn in on 10 November.

If Jewish-led opposition parties and Arab-led factions cooperate, they could help form a government that replaces Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. Together, they won 67 seats, above the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. That would turn an election without a clear winner into a possible governing alliance.

The proposed cooperation has specific goals. The Joint List said it would support removing Likud’s Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker and establishing a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023. It also indicated that it could ask Isaac Herzog to assign an anti-Netanyahu Zionist candidate, likely Gadi Eisenkot, to form a government.

The outcome remains uncertain because the parties do not agree on every condition. Yousef Jabareen declined to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation, while Eisenkot requires that designation from prospective partners. The parties must also agree on leadership and policy. If they cannot, the majority exists only on paper and another election could remain a risk.

The Joint List is an alliance of three Arab factions in Israel. It is predominantly Arab and is represented in the Knesset. In the election described, it won 11 seats. The alliance does not want to join the government, but says it is willing to help anti-Netanyahu parties replace Netanyahu’s coalition.

Its influence comes from the arithmetic of the 120-seat Knesset. A government needs 61 seats for a majority. Jewish-led opposition parties and Arab-led factions together won 67, so the Arab-led parties’ participation makes the difference between a possible majority and a bloc that falls short. Their votes could support a candidate tasked with forming a government.

That influence also creates difficult negotiations. Ahmad Tibi urged Gadi Eisenkot to follow Yitzhak Rabin’s example and rely on Arab lawmakers’ votes. Yet Yousef Jabareen did not accept Eisenkot’s stated condition on describing Hamas as a terrorist organisation. The Joint List can therefore be decisive without becoming a cabinet member.

When no party has won a majority, Israel’s president helps begin the government-forming process. The article says Isaac Herzog will receive the full official results after the Central Elections Committee completes inquiries into errors or complaints. He will then meet each party leader as they recommend the person they believe should form the government.

The president’s role is therefore to identify the candidate with the strongest parliamentary path. The Joint List suggested asking Herzog to task a candidate from the anti-Netanyahu Zionist parties, likely Gadi Eisenkot, with forming a government. This does not itself guarantee success; the candidate still needs enough party support.

Herzog also urged party leaders to prevent another election and approach talks with an open mind. The new Knesset will be sworn in on 10 November, even if negotiations remain unfinished. Since neither main bloc is near the 61-seat threshold alone, Herzog’s consultations could shape the next stage of coalition negotiations.

Ahmad Tibi is pointing to a previous example of an Israeli government succeeding with Arab lawmakers’ parliamentary support. The article says late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin relied on Arab lawmakers’ votes to secure parliamentary approval for the Oslo Accords with the PLO. The example shows that outside support can matter even when Arab parties are not part of the cabinet.

Tibi called on Gadi Eisenkot to “be like Rabin.” His message is that Eisenkot could work with Arab lawmakers to replace Netanyahu’s government without necessarily making the Joint List a formal coalition partner. The Joint List has said it wants to help create change but does not want ministerial posts or cabinet membership.

Tibi is invoking Rabin because the current numbers make Arab support potentially decisive. The Jewish-led opposition and Arab-led factions won 67 seats, above the 61-seat majority threshold. But today’s arrangement still depends on negotiations, including disagreement over Eisenkot’s condition that partners describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

In a parliamentary system, a government can be formed when several parties agree to work together and collectively command a majority. Israel’s Knesset has 120 seats, so a governing grouping needs at least 61. No single party in this election came close to that number, making coalition negotiations essential.

The article gives a clear example. Likud won 27 seats, Yashar 21, B’Yachad 12 and the Joint List 11, with other parties also winning seats. Jewish-led opposition parties and Arab-led factions together reached 67. That total could support a government, but only if the parties agree on a leader, priorities and the terms of their cooperation.

This system makes election night only the start of government formation. The president consults party leaders, then tasks a candidate with trying to form a government. The new Knesset will be sworn in on 10 November, while negotiations may continue for more than two months. If agreements fail, the 67-seat arithmetic cannot produce a stable government.