Protesters told the AFP news agency that this may be the “last chance for real change,” describing Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, as a “great manipulator.” Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, noted that the public strongly desires the vote for change to succeed. She stated that Gadi Eisenkot and other leaders of Jewish-Israeli parties need to listen to this voice, implying that a coalition with Arab parties is necessary to break the stalemate.
The political impasse stems from the distribution of seats in the recent election. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc secured 48. Consequently, neither side can form a government independently. Israel’s three Arab-led parties won 19 seats, marking significant gains. According to the Central Election Committee, nearly 840,000 people voted for Ra’am and the Joint List, a coalition of three Arab-led parties, representing a 64 percent increase from the 2022 elections. A coalition between Eisenkot and these Arab parties would provide a comfortable majority of 67 seats.
However, the prospect of a Jewish-Arab coalition remains politically contentious. Main opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has previously ruled out forming a government with Israel’s Arab parties, though the current deadlock may force a reconsideration of that stance. For many in Israel, siding with Arab parties is viewed as unpalatable, complicating the opposition’s path to power.
Counter-protests occurred simultaneously with the main demonstrations, with Netanyahu supporters shouting that Israel should not have a government with “so-called terrorists.” Netanyahu has accused Palestinian-Israeli parties of “stealing” the polls and accepting funding from Qatar to achieve their electoral success. Qatar has rejected these allegations, labeling them a disinformation campaign.
Odeh added that right-wing circles in Israel have described the historic turnout of Palestinian Israelis as “electoral terrorism,” drawing parallels to the October 7 attack when Hamas-led fighters killed more than 1,200 people and took hundreds captive. She emphasized that Palestinian-Israeli votes and voices are currently under attack due to their prominent position in determining whether Eisenkot can form a government.
