Joint List to Back Ohana's Ouster, Block Netanyahu as Interim PM

Ahmad Tibi, the second-ranked member of the Joint List party, announced Sunday that the party will support the removal of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana immediately after the upcoming elections. The party also stated it would not allow Benjamin Netanyahu to serve as an interim prime minister. To this end, Tibi declared support for the "Accused Law," which would prevent Netanyahu from serving as prime minister, though its constitutionality is uncertain.

Tibi described the upcoming choice as "between bad and worse," but emphasized the Joint List's demands for a plan to combat violence and crime, halt home demolitions, and pursue a political horizon. He stated that while the next government would not be a "peace government," the party would find common ground to serve its community's interests without compromising its principles.

"We will not wait for the establishment of a new government," Tibi said, adding that "in the first days of the next Knesset, we will oust Speaker Amir Ohana, who has turned the Knesset into a Kahanist and racist arena against all of us." The Joint List will vote with the opposition to achieve this and pass laws beneficial to their community, including the "Accused Law" to block Netanyahu's path to premiership.

This announcement follows an earlier declaration by Joint List head Yosef Jabareen, who stated eight days prior that the party was prepared to offer a "safety net" for any government replacing Netanyahu and was open to negotiations. Jabareen noted that forming an alternative government would likely require negotiation with the Joint List, but stressed they would not offer unconditional support, demanding negotiations on their community's requirements. This marks the first time the Joint List has signaled openness to political cooperation to facilitate a government change, despite many parties in the anti-Netanyahu bloc having previously ruled out cooperation with Arab parties, including Ra'am led by Mansour Abbas.