Netanyahu's Likud seeks to bar Arab parties from October Knesset vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party announced Sunday it would file requests to bar the Joint List and United Arab List (Ra'am) from running in the Oct. 27 Knesset election, accusing the Arab-majority factions of supporting "terrorism" without providing evidence to support the allegations.

Disqualification requests

Likud said it plans to file formal requests to disqualify both groups from the October vote, claiming they disparage Israeli soldiers and refuse to designate Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. The statement offered no documentation for the accusations, which target the two main political vehicles for Israel's Arab citizens.

Electoral attacks

The move comes as Likud intensifies its campaign against former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, whose Yashar party has emerged as Netanyahu's main electoral threat. Likud portrayed the two Arab parties as Eisenkot's "natural partners" and claimed he would rely on them along with opposition leaders Yair Golan and Avigdor Lieberman to form a government.

Coalition arithmetic

The Joint List brings together Arab political parties in Israel, while Ra'am — led by Mansour Abbas — contests elections separately after breaking away from the alliance. Ra'am became the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition in 2021. Recent polls have placed Eisenkot's Yashar ahead of Likud, leaving neither the ruling bloc nor the opposition with a clear path to the 61 seats required to form a government — a deadlock that could grant Arab parties significant leverage in post-election negotiations.