This is the first meeting of these political forces since the legislative elections held last Tuesday, in which they won 19 of the 120 seats of the Knesset, according to preliminary results.

Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while the Jewish opposition forces reached 48 – figures that alone do not guarantee the 61-member parliamentary majority needed to form a government.

Deputy Ahmad Tibi posted a photo of the meeting on social network X and explained that it was a coordination and consultation meeting between the leaders of the Joint List and the United Arab List.

The goal, he said, is “to overthrow the government of Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich and replace it with a change government.”

In addition to Tibi, Yousef Jabareen of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality; Bakr Awawdeh of the Democratic National Assembly; and Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List.

Contacts between the groups intensified ahead of the consultations scheduled for Wednesday, when Herzog will receive representatives of political forces with parliamentary presence to determine whom he will entrust the formation of the executive.

In this context, the Naftali Bennett-led Maan party announced on Sunday its intention to recommend Yesh Atid’s leader, Gadi Eisenkot, for taking over that responsibility.

The Israeli broadcasting authority reported that the Democratic Party, led by Yair Golan, is also inclined to support this candidacy. Yisrael Beiteinu’s leader, Avigdor Lieberman, also stated his intention to recommend Eisenkot, according to Channel 12.

Arab representatives suggested that they might join these recommendations in order to prevent Netanyahu from being tasked with forming a government.

abo/mem/mche