Joint Arab List ready to help bring down Netanyahu government

The Joint Arab List is ready to use its political and parliamentary tools to help end Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule and pave the way for an alternative government, its leader Yousef Jabareen said on Wednesday, hours before the counting of votes in Israel’s election was due to be completed.

Jabareen said the list sought to use its political influence to affect the election results and the formation of the next government. He stressed that any alternative political arrangements must take the demands of the Palestinian Arab community in Israel into account.

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The list’s demands include a funded plan to combat crime and violence in Arab towns, an end to home demolitions, and a serious political process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Joint Arab List has said it will not offer unconditional political support, linking any future agreements to the fulfilment of its political and social demands. Some Israeli opposition parties, however, oppose relying on the support of Arab parties to form a government.

Preliminary election results put Netanyahu’s bloc at 54 seats, while the bloc of Zionist opposition parties had 47. The two Arab lists held the remaining 19 seats, with the Joint Arab List winning 13 and the United Arab List six.

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