Arab Parties Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad Sign Agreement to Reunite Joint List

The leaders of the Arab parties Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad have signed an agreement to run together in the upcoming elections, reviving the Joint List alliance. The agreement was finalized on Wednesday, following the removal of opposition by Ta'al chairman, MK Ahmad Tibi, who had initially rejected the reconciliation plan proposed by the committee responsible for uniting the list. The parties aim to complete the reformation before the official candidate submission deadline in early September.

The signed deal is still subject to approval by the respective parties, with an official announcement expected soon. Ta'al's central committee is scheduled to convene to decide on calling a general council meeting. Earlier last week, Tibi had left a meeting in protest against the proposed framework, but subsequent separate meetings of Hadash and Balad secretariats showed support for the plan.

A key development was a private meeting between Hadash's Prof. Yousef Jabareen and former MK Osama Saadi, Tibi's close associate, which was described as positive and led to signals from Ta'al that Tibi would accept the framework. Under the arrangement, Tibi will serve as chairman of the joint faction, deputy speaker of the Knesset, and hold a seat on a prestigious committee such as the Finance Committee. Negotiations continue over the placement of Ta'al's second candidate, with Saadi expected to be the second on the list.

The proposed candidate order includes Jabareen (Hadash) first, followed by Tibi (Ta'al), Sami Abu Shahadeh (Balad), and others from the three parties. A recent Maariv poll suggested that if Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad unite while Yoav Segalovich is placed second on the Ra'am list, the Joint Arab List could win eight seats and Ra'am six, totaling 14 seats. This scenario would weaken Netanyahu's coalition to 47 seats and strengthen the opposition to 55 seats.

This renewed alliance is seen as a strategic move to consolidate Arab representation in the Knesset ahead of the elections, potentially impacting the overall balance of power in the Israeli parliament.