Israel: Arab parties agree to revive Joint List ahead of Knesset election

Leaders from Israel’s four main Arab parties – Ta'al, Hadash, Balad and the United Arab List – announced on Thursday their intention to run together as a coalition in the country’s upcoming legislative election, following official announcements by the parties’ leaders.

The decision was made in the Arab-majority city of Sakhnin in northern Israel, amid a nationwide strike protesting police inaction and alleged complicity in a crime wave affecting the country's Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up around 20 percent of the country's population.

Hadash leader Ayman Odeh, Ta'al's Ahmad Tibi, Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh and United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas signed the agreement during a meeting in the city, which has been at the centre of this week’s protests - the largest mobilisations by the Palestinian community in Israel since 2019.

A video announcing the agreement was posted on social media by the party leaders, showing cheers and applause from those present inside the city hall.

Images shared online revealed the document bearing the signatures of the Arab party leaders, embossed with Sakhnin municipality’s official letterhead.

Palestinian citizens of Israel, also called 1948 Palestinians, are the indigenous Palestinian inhabitants of the land who owned and lived on it long before the establishment of Israel in 1948, and who remained after its creation despite widespread forced expulsions, massacres and violence carried out by Zionist militias during the Nakba.

Both Palestinian and Israeli media reported that the agreement came under intense public pressure from Palestinian citizens of Israel, amid a sharp rise in violent crime and growing criticism of the Israeli government’s failure to address it.

Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh told The New Arab’s affiliate Arab48 news site: "We in Balad believe that the national and party interest, as well as the interests of our people, lie in establishing a joint list based on an agreed political programme that satisfies everyone despite differences, so that it can be maintained both before and after the election."

"The Joint List could become the second or third largest party in the Knesset in terms of size and representation, forming a parliamentary bloc capable of achieving far more than any small party acting alone," he added.

Efforts to re-establish the Joint List have been underway for some time. In August, The Times of Israel reported that party leaders were holding talks aimed at reviving the alliance, amid frustration over Israel’s war on Gaza and a desire to increase the political influence of Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Thursday’s declaration signals renewed momentum, though the process is expected to be complex and protracted.

The alliance will still need to resolve key issues, including leadership, seat allocation and campaign strategy.

Significant ideological differences also persist between the parties, particularly between the conservative-leaning United Arab List and the more secular Balad and Ta’al.

The announcement drew sharp reactions from far-right Israeli politicians, most notably National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who posted an image of the leaders celebrating the agreement on X with the caption "Terror Representative Alliance".

Odeh, who has repeatedly clashed with Ben-Gvir, responded in Hebrew: "We'll send you home, you stinking Kahanist," referring to the anti-Arab ideology of Kahanism, which underpins Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

The Joint List was first formed in 2015, marking the first time major Arab parties ran together on a single electoral list, and was the third-largest bloc in the Knesset in 2020.

However, internal disputes fractured the alliance multiple times. In 2021, the United Arab List split from the Joint List, contributing to lower Arab voter turnout in that year’s election.

In the 2022 election, Balad ran independently, while Ta’al and Hadash contested the vote together.

Balad had also experienced an earlier split in 2019.

The next legislative election is scheduled for October 2026, but could be brought forward if the Knesset fails to pass the 2026 state budget by 31 March.