MK Ayman Odeh calls for Palestinian unity in Israeli elections

Israeli opposition lawmaker Aymen Odeh has called for unity among Palestinian parties in Israel, urging them to form a joint electoral list capable of challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government.

Speaking at the Givat Haviva Conference for a Shared Society, Odeh, who heads the left-wing Hadash-Ta'al alliance, was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying: "I call on all Arab parties: Let us unite, all of us. Let us bring 17 mandates."

Odeh said Palestinian parties must use every available democratic tool to remove Netanyahu from power, framing the effort as a struggle for equal rights and political representation.

"The central struggle is over Israeli democracy as a whole, for all citizens, Jews and Arabs alike," he said. "This cannot be a sectoral struggle, but rather a struggle to build a true democracy."

Palestinian parties have been holding negotiations since August over reestablishing a joint list between Hadash, Ta'al, Balad, and Ra'am.

The four parties previously ran together before Ra’am split from the alliance in 2021 to support the coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, a move that was widely criticised at the time. Balad later withdrew from the joint list in 2022.

Odeh's remarks come as Israeli parties begin preparing for elections scheduled for October 2026, amid growing concern that Palestinian citizens of Israel remain systematically excluded from meaningful political power despite constituting a significant share of the electorate.

A recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found that most opposition voters would support forming a government dependent on Ra'am if the opposition and a Netanyahu-led bloc were tied. Support stood at 94.5 percent among Democrats voters, 62 percent among Bennett voters, 58 percent among supporters of Yesh Atid, and 52 percent among voters aligned with Gadi Eisenkot's Yasher faction.

Despite this, Bennett has ruled out cooperation with Ra'am, as has Avigdor Liberman, head of the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, highlighting the persistent refusal among Jewish parties to share power with Palestinian representatives.

Yesh Atid MK Simon Davidson echoed that exclusionary stance, saying he would prefer to work with ultra-Orthodox parties currently allied with Netanyahu rather than Palestinian factions.

In comments to Haaretz, Davidson, who is of Lithuanian origin, warned against relying on "anti-Zionist" Arab parties, framing Palestinian political participation as a security risk.

Referring to Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas, Davidson said: "After October 7, I don’t want to work with any Palestinian… Mansour Abbas identifies as a Palestinian."

The remarks have drawn criticism from Palestinian politicians and rights advocates, who say they reflect a broader pattern of delegitimising Palestinian identity and participation in Israel's political system.

Meanwhile, the left-wing Democrats party has sought to strengthen its base by bringing prominent anti-government protest figures and the brother of an Israeli captive killed in Gaza into the party.

Party leader Yair Golan said the primaries, which will determine the party's Knesset candidates, would be open to all.

Palestinian citizens of Israel are descendants of the indigenous population of historic Palestine who remained on their land after Israel's establishment in 1948, despite widespread violence, ethnic cleansing and mass displacement carried out by Zionist militias.