Balad Leader Slams Israeli Leaders for 'Racist' Exclusion of Arab Parties

Sami Abu Shehadeh, the leader of Israel’s Balad party, has strongly criticized the country's primary political figures for their refusal to form a coalition with Arab parties. This stance comes despite a record electoral performance by Arab parties, which could position them as kingmakers in the upcoming parliament following an inconclusive election result. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abu Shehadeh stated that Palestinian citizens of Israel, constituting approximately one-fifth of the population, are being deemed illegitimate partners despite their significant voter turnout.

"This is racism," Abu Shehadeh declared. "We are a legitimate elected leadership of the national minority. The vast majority of our people decided that we are their leadership."

Arab parties are projected to secure a historic 19 seats, granting them potentially crucial influence over the major political blocs. With 85 percent of the votes tallied, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is leading with at least 53 seats, while the opposition bloc headed by Gadi Eisenkot has secured 48 seats. Both fall short of the 61 seats required to form a government. Netanyahu asserts that Israelis opted for a strong right-wing government, whereas Eisenkot claims they voted for change.

Abu Shehadeh, who leads Balad, one of the constituent parties of the Joint List, was not a candidate in the election. Israel’s elections committee had previously voted to disqualify him at the behest of far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who accused him of endorsing the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. This accusation stemmed from an article published the day after the attack, in which Abu Shehadeh described it as an "important historical event." Abu Shehadeh later informed the Supreme Court that he did not support "armed struggle," but conceded that a paragraph in the article was poorly worded, clarifying his intention was to advocate for shifting the conflict towards a political process.

He withdrew his candidacy in October after a majority of the Supreme Court panel seemed prepared to uphold the disqualification. Abu Shehadeh rejects the grounds for disqualification and commented that the court's actions highlighted Israel's possession of "two different judicial systems, one for the Jews and one for the Arabs."

"We are very proud of the Arab Palestinian minority in Israel that went in this very high percentage of voting," he told Al Jazeera. He added that the community's primary commitment to voters was to prevent "this gang of criminals"—referring to Netanyahu and far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Ben-Gvir—from regaining power. "So our first promise, we can keep it from now."

Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, observed that Netanyahu "has scared off everybody from talking to the Palestinian Israeli parties," positioning him to "call the shots." She noted that Eisenkot and his allies have signaled their preference for a Zionist government and "do not want to form a government" with Arab parties, leaving them with limited options. Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, remarked to Al Jazeera that the turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel was "really unprecedented numbers" and that their parties "are going to have some significant clout." He suggested that, mathematically, Eisenkot's bloc could ally with the two Arab parties to surpass the required threshold, though it would demand "political wizardry."

Yousef Jabareen, the leader of the Joint List, has stated that his alliance's "hands are extended" to remove Netanyahu from power. Abu Shehadeh outlined the demands of Palestinian citizens from the next government: "We are against genocide and we are against apartheid. We want to promote a different political alternative, one which is based on the values of freedom, justice and equality for both people who are living between the river and the sea." Regarding Netanyahu, he stated: "Our problem … is that he is a war criminal." A UN commission report published on Monday indicated that Israel has continued to commit genocide in Gaza, following the US-brokered ceasefire in the enclave last October. The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 for alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza war.