MK Ahmad Tibi Says Israeli Left 'Extinct,' Fears Bennett Joining Netanyahu

Member of Knesset Ahmad Tibi, from the Joint List, gave an interview to Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with the "axis of resistance" and Hezbollah. In the interview, Tibi analyzed Israel's political landscape and scenarios for government formation. He predicted that President Isaac Herzog would first task Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government and urged Eisenkot to show courage and establish a minority government led by him. Tibi revealed that a senior figure in the "change bloc" had contacted him, and that the Joint List was ready to immediately move to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana as a first step. Regarding a potential alternative speaker, Tibi stated that Yair Lapid would be preferable to Ohana, but other candidates were also being considered. Tibi also expressed concern that Naftali Bennett might ultimately choose to join Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc. During the interview, Tibi criticized the political system, declaring that "the left in Israel is extinct and no longer exists." He called on the opposition to act swiftly to oust Netanyahu, questioning "I don't know what they are waiting for" and positioning the Joint List as the decisive force to achieve this goal. Tibi claimed that Netanyahu's "loud shouts indicate the intensity of his pain," dismissing Likud's claims of election fraud as baseless. He further alleged that Netanyahu desires regional escalation to force Eisenkot into agreeing to a unity government. Regarding President Herzog, Tibi suggested that Herzog does not want new elections but rather a government term that would end with a pardon for Netanyahu. However, Tibi qualified his remarks, stating that even a government led by Eisenkot would not be a "dream government" and would not fundamentally alter Israel's regional policy.