Three major Israeli-Arab Parties announce Joint List for upcoming elections

Jack Khoury and Noa Shpigel report in Haaretz on 25 May 2026:

Three of Israel’s Arab parties announced on Sunday evening that they were forming a joint slate for the upcoming elections, calling on the fourth party, United Arab List, to join them.

UAL responded overnight into Monday that it is prepared to run on a joint slate together with the Arab-majority parties – Hadash, Ta’al and Balad in the upcoming election. It emphasized, however, that any alliance must ensure that “each party retains its own platform, freedom, and dialogue with its voters without any constraint.” The party’s statement ruled out “any clause that imposes binding conditions on any of the parties.”

“Such a slate is the ideal solution that fulfills the aspirations of our voters and preserves the integrity of the parties,” the statement said.

In an earlier statement issued Sunday, Hadash, Ta’al and Balad said they had met following discussions in recent months on reviving the Joint List alliance, the slate on which the four Arab parties ran together in the 2015 and 2020 elections. The parties said they agreed on key political issues and stressed they intend to continue political and parliamentary coordination after the election.

The statement said the three parties want UAL to join and become a partner in a full political agreement that would strengthen the alliance. It noted, however, that significant gaps remain between the sides regarding the character and purpose of a joint ticket.

Despite the differences, the parties said that because of the importance of forming a joint slate and confronting what they described as “existential dangers,” they are willing to reach an agreement with UAL on a united ticket aimed at increasing voter turnout, expanding Arab representation in parliament and bringing down what they called the “fascist right-wing government.”

The parties also cited what they described as ongoing threats against Arab parties, including efforts to disqualify them and outlaw their activity, and urged UAL to sign an agreement without delay “to announce to the Arab public ahead of Eid al-Adha the revival of the Joint List and restore hope to the public.”

The four Arab parties – Hadash, UAL, Ta’al and Balad – have all declared support for a joint slate, but political disputes, power struggles and disagreements over the nature of the alliance, leadership, seat distribution and relations with a future coalition government have complicated talks.

Speaking to Haaretz over the weekend, UAL chairman Mansour Abbas said the alliance should be purely technical, affecting only the election slate and allowing each party to maintain political independence. UAL is seeking guarantees in any agreement preserving its freedom of action, including the option of joining a future coalition government. Abbas said the position reflects lessons from the previous Knesset, when other Arab parties cooperated with Likud and Shas to undermine UAL’s attempt to influence policy from within the government.

Within Hadash, the election of Yousef Jabareen as party chairman earlier this month is seen by many as an opportunity to revive talks. Jabareen told Haaretz that forming a joint slate is a “public and moral imperative,” adding that “facing an extreme right-wing government, we cannot allow ourselves to remain divided.”

Ta’al chairman Ahmad Tibi said negotiations are advancing. “There is already recognition that these are different parties with different views, and that each can preserve its own path within a shared framework,” he told Haaretz. He added that “an overwhelming majority” of Arab voters support restoring the Joint List and see it as the most effective way to unseat the government.

Balad has pushed for a more clearly ideological framework. Party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh told Haaretz that for Balad, the Joint List is “not only an electoral framework, but a strategic project to strengthen the Palestinian public in Israel as an organized political group.” He said the alliance should represent “a clear struggle against the occupation, demolitions, annexation and political persecution.”

Still, Balad said Thursday that amid stalled efforts to reach a full political agreement among the parties, it would agree to a “technical joint slate” aimed at boosting voter turnout and increasing Arab representation in parliament.

This article is reproduced in its entirety