Tibi urges Eisenkot to drop the 61-seat rule and build a 67-seat majority

Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Tibi is demanding that Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot form a minority government to replace the current administration. Tibi, speaking in an interview with Middle East Eye on Friday, said Eisenkot must summon the political courage to work with Arab parties. He cited the 1993 government of Yitzhak Rabin as a precedent, noting that Rabin held power with 56 seats while relying on Palestinian-led parties for support. Tibi stated that there is no democratic reason to exclude Palestinian representatives from this process.

The call for a minority government comes after Tuesday’s elections produced a fragmented parliament. Neither the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot can reach the 61 seats required for a majority without Palestinian parties. The Joint List, which includes Tibi’s Ta’al party along with Hadash and Balad, won 11 seats. Another Palestinian party, Ra’am, secured eight seats. Together, these two slates hold 19 seats, a record number for Palestinian parties in the Knesset.

Tibi’s party is part of a strategy to support any leader willing to remove Netanyahu from office. He dismissed proposals for a national unity government, arguing such an arrangement would allow Netanyahu to continue his policies while another leader markets them to Western governments. “We don't like a unity government, because one side will continue his brutal policy and the second will help him market this policy,” Tibi said. Instead, he urged Eisenkot to form a new government immediately. “We prefer a new government by Eisenkot, as a minority government, and we are ready to help,” he added.

The opposition currently holds 67 seats in the 120-seat Knesset when counting Palestinian parties. Tibi described this number as a democratic majority. He argued that Palestinian citizens, who make up roughly 20 percent of Israel’s population, have a legitimate right to help determine the country’s next government. He said the immediate priority is to use these electoral gains to end what he called Netanyahu’s criminal government and improve the status of Palestinian citizens.

Tibi also addressed allegations that Qatar financed efforts to boost turnout among Palestinian voters. He called the claims politically motivated and predicted they would have zero effect on the results. “Two, three, four, five days, everything will be relieved. It will be a minor issue,” he said. He accused Netanyahu of using the allegations to intimidate voters and discourage cooperation between opposition parties and Palestinian lawmakers.

The Ta’al leader also targeted Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a Likud lawmaker. Tibi accused Ohana of turning parliament into a racist institution and fuelling hostility toward Palestinian lawmakers. “Amir Ohana made the Knesset racist,” Tibi said. He urged opposition parties to nominate a replacement immediately, pledging that Palestinian lawmakers would support their candidate. “The best practical step should be removing Amir Ohana, the speaker of the parliament, and voting for the candidate of the opposition. It should be done, no hesitation,” he said.

Tibi praised the high turnout of Palestinian citizens in the election, noting that many voted despite age, illness, or mobility difficulties. He described their participation as a historic achievement and an act of political self-defence against incitement. He rejected attempts to question the legitimacy of the Arab vote, pointing instead to allegations of foreign financing surrounding the prime minister’s own office. “The only corrupted party here is the prime minister and the prime minister's office,” he said.