Reaction to Likud's Attempt to Ban Arab Parties from Elections

In the statement made by the Joint List, formed by the Hadaş, Ta'al and Balad parties representing Palestinian Israeli citizens, the Likud's announcement that it would apply to prevent the participation of the Joint List and the United Arab List (Raam) in the elections was reacted.

"The request to ban the crime family known as Likud is yet another rotten and racist move by a party that has completely lost the public's trust and has brought nothing but destruction and death," the statement said. statements were included.

The statement stated that Netanyahu knew that he was losing the election and that he would risk everything to prevent this, adding that "No provocation campaign and fascist attempt to prevent them from participating in the elections will be able to stop them on their way to overthrow the Netanyahu-Ben Gvir-Smotrich government."

The United Arab List has not yet made a statement regarding Likud's initiative.

The Likud Party announced yesterday that it would apply to prevent the participation of the Joint List and the United Arab List (Raam), representing Palestinian Israeli citizens, in the elections to be held on October 27.

History of lists and electoral balances

The Joint List was established in 2015 as an electoral alliance with the participation of four main parties representing Palestinian Israeli citizens, but it experienced divisions and changes in the following years.

The United Arab List (Raam), led by Mansur Abbas, was previously in the Joint List, but later separated and started to act independently, becoming the first Arab list to join a coalition government in Israel in 2021.

Likud's move comes at a time when the competition between Netanyahu and his rival Gadi Eisenkot, who is prominent in the polls in the Parliament elections scheduled for October 27, is intensifying.

While recent opinion polls point to a neck-and-neck race, most polls show Eisenkot's Yashar Party ahead of Likud.

Although Eisenkot appears to be ahead in the polls, it appears that neither bloc could reach the majority of 61 seats required to form a government.

This situation puts the parties representing Palestinian Israeli citizens in a key position in a possible coalition equation.

Analysts attribute Likud's intensification of attacks on Eisenkot and his possibility of forming a government with the support of Arab parties in recent months to the fact that Eisenkot is seen as the main rival against Netanyahu.