Jerusalem, Nov. 5 (askanews) – Yousef Jabareen, leader of the majority Arab-Israeli “Joint List” alliance, which won 11 seats in Israel’s recent legislative elections, expressed his support for Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot in forming a government, during the second day of consultations with President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.
"We informed the President that, in order to advance the goal of overthrowing and replacing the Netanyahu government, as well as to further our mission and commitment to the citizens who supported us, we have proposed Eisenkot as our candidate," Jabareen said. Ahmad Tibi, another member of the Joint List, explained the Arab-Israeli group's goal after consultations with Herzog: "We have differences with Gadi Eisenkot on many issues.
As far as we're concerned, we're not choosing between good and better, but between bad and worse. From our perspective, and we know very well what this government means, we need, for the good of our people—the Arab population, but also the entire Israeli population, the majority of the Israeli population—to replace this terrible government." The Arab-majority lists won 19 seats in the elections, an unprecedented result, making them potential "kingmakers" should Eisenkot's opposition decide to collaborate with them—a possibility that remains uncertain.
Askanews