The Democrats Chairman Yair Golan met this morning (Tuesday, November 3) with Joint List Chairman Yousef Jabareen and Ta’al Chairman Ahmad Tibi, before the meeting of the “change bloc” leaders of the Zionist opposition took place
Following its conclusion, Golan met with “Yashar” Chairman Gadi Eisenkot, “Beyachad” Chairman Naftali Bennett, and “Yisrael Beytenu” Chairman Avigdor Lieberman.
Before the meeting Lieberman published a post on X stating, “In the current political situation, there is enough room for maneuver, and with correct navigation, a functioning and stable government can be quickly established without Ra’am and the Joint List.” Lieberman did not explain.
Yesterday, all the newly elected Members of Knesset from the Joint List met for the first time. Additionally, a meeting was held between representatives of the Joint List and representatives of the Islamic Ra’am party, led by Mansour Abbas. A statement released at the conclusion of the meeting read, “Both sides exchanged views on the political developments following the elections and discussed the need to deepen cooperation in order to confront the new challenges and work toward bringing down the fascist right from power.”
According to Jabareen, “More than half a million citizens voted for the Joint List—youth, women, the elderly, and men, in the cities and villages. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked so hard to achieve this historic and unprecedented achievement. Half a million citizens, like you and me, demand real change. Above all, they demand hope and a horizon for a life of dignity, equality, and peace. Throughout this entire election campaign, we were the only ones who spoke of peace, of hope, and of a better future for both peoples. And that is exactly how we will continue.” “I am proud to head the Joint List, and proud that we will be the ones to prevent, with our own hands, Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich from returning to power,” he emphasized.
In a joint statement issued last night by Hadash and the Communist Party of Israel (CPI), it was stated that “the Arab public has proven its political power—we will take all necessary steps to bring down the Netanyahu government.” The bureaus of Hadash and CPI held a lengthy joint meeting to discuss the election results and their implications. In the statement released at the conclusion of the meeting, both bureaus emphasized that the widespread participation of the Arab public constituted a major political and public achievement, and that the responsibility now is to preserve this achievement and translate it into an organized force with the goal of bringing down the Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich government, fighting fascism, and protecting the rights of the Arab citizens in Israel and the Palestinian people.”
Hadash and CPI congratulated “our partners in the Joint List and the newly elected Members of Knesset for the trust placed in the list by approximately half a million citizens and for its representation of 11 Members of Knesset. Our gratitude goes out to the thousands of female and male activists, and female and male volunteers, who carried the campaign on their backs in every locality and neighborhood. Furthermore, we salute the democratic Jewish forces and voters who stood against the racist current and sided with the Joint List.”
According to the CPI and the Hadash, “We must act toward the recognition of Arab citizens as a legitimate and equal political force.” They stated that “the election results exposed the contradiction between the pretense of adhering to democracy and national exclusion, racism, and Jewish supremacy, as well as the political boundaries of Netanyahu’s opponents who hesitate to confront their own racist stances.” “Our mission is to translate these contradictions into political action, to strengthen cooperation with anyone who recognizes the political legitimacy of the Arab public, and to establish a broad front that will isolate fascism and fascists.”
“Casting doubt on the integrity of the elections in Arab localities, the attack on the rise in voter turnout, and the threatening persecution of activists are a political campaign designed to delegitimize Arab citizens. We warn that Netanyahu and the far-right are laying the groundwork to reject the election results if they lead to their removal from power, and to fuel fascist incitement—especially if an alternative government is established relying on the votes of Arab Members of Knesset. This is an attempt to steal the voters’ will and a dangerous step on the path of undermining our rights, freedoms, and the legitimacy of our political representation,” they emphasized.
Furthermore, “The dangers inherent in the Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich government go beyond discrimination, oppression, house demolitions, the spread of crime, and rampant racism under its auspices. This is a government of a war of destruction and displacement in Gaza, of deepening the occupation and expanding settlements, and of giving a free hand to settler terror in the West Bank, of harming holy sites, and of striving to eliminate the Palestinian issue and thwarting the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence. The continued tenure of this government threatens the future of the entire region due to the reliance on military force, the expansion of wars, and the igniting of new fronts. Trump’s presence in the White House doubles the danger of Netanyahu’s continued rule, given the support and backing he is likely to provide for war, annexation, and displacement. Therefore, bringing down this government is an urgent historic mission to protect the public and the Palestinian people and their rights, to defend freedoms, and to confront the danger of dragging the peoples of the region into further bloodshed and destruction.”
Regarding the “change bloc”, CPI and Hadash stated that they “harbor no illusions about the forces presenting themselves as an alternative to Netanyahu, spearheaded by Eisenkot. We are aware that the establishment of a different government will not automatically bring a profound change in Israeli policy, an end to the occupation, the abandonment of military solutions, or the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. However, this realization does not diminish the necessity of bringing down the current government. Its continued existence carries the danger of tightening its grip on government institutions, completing the regime coup, and entrenching mechanisms of oppression and exclusion in a way that will be difficult to reverse. Bringing it down could place a barrier before this rampage and create a crack in the path of fascist deterioration—a move that could open a wider space for the joint Jewish-Arab political and public struggle, and for the campaign for an alternative founded upon true equality, social justice, the end of the occupation, and peace between both peoples. Turning this possibility into reality requires our independent and organized struggle and will not be achieved merely by replacing the government.”
Furthermore, CPI and Hadash support the position presented by the Joint List, according to which a “safety net for the Arab public and all workers and exploited must be granted in exchange for any parliamentary safety net provided to an alternative government. This is despite the fact that under the current political conditions, we see no possibility of joining a government and taking responsibility for its policies.”
“We will act to expand the partnership in the struggle against fascism beyond the three components of the Joint List and beyond parliamentary activity alone, in integration with the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens, local authorities, civil society organizations and trade unions, youth and women’s movements, and with democratic Jewish forces. Our goal is to build a broad popular and political force that will protect equality and the legitimacy of Arab participation and link the struggle against fascism to the struggle against the occupation and for a just peace. We will make every effort to prevent repeat elections as far as it depends on us, and we will translate the election results into removing the government from power,” they concluded.
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