Joint List calls for Jewish-Arab support to oust Netanyahu, bring 'peace between Israel, Palestine'

“We call on the entire public, Arabs and Jews: Come to us. Let’s build together a home of dignity, a home of equality, a home of hope,” said the Chairman of the Arab-led Joint List party.

Chairman of the Arab-led Joint List party, Yousef Jabareen, called for support from both Jews and Arabs in the October elections to avoid a government like the one currently led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and bring “peace between Israel and Palestine.”

The remarks were made at a Hebrew-language campaign launch event for the party on Monday in Tel Aviv.

“It is either the Right and another term of the bloodshed government, or a large and strong Joint List that will look after all the citizens of the country, Jews and Arabs,” Jabareen said.

“We call on the entire public, Arabs and Jews: Come to us. Let’s build together a home of dignity, a home of equality, a home of hope,” he added.

Joint List is made up of four Arab-led parties

The Joint List is made up of three of the four main Arab-led parties: Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad.

MK Ahmad Tibi, who holds the second slot on the Joint List’s Knesset slate, said that he believed the party would win ten seats and “send this evil government home.”

The party has been polling at around seven to eight seats.  Past polls have shown that when the Arab parties run together, they often obtain more seats than in separate runs.

The other Arab-led party running, Ra’am, chaired by Manosur Abbas, did not agree to partner with the Joint List and has sought to be seen as a viable coalition partner.

Most opposition party leaders in the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu have drawn a red line against forming a coalition with the Arab parties.

Joint List calls to address spike in Arab crime, equal equality

The Joint List calls to address the spike in Arab crime and advance equality for Arab citizens, and has stated that its main objective would be to remove Netanyahu and far-right figures such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from government. The party also advocates for a Palestinian state.

The campaign launch event came after Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of Balad and the third-ranked candidate on the Joint List, withdrew from the election on Friday after a majority of the Supreme Court’s nine-justice panel appeared prepared to approve his disqualification.

Otzma Yehudit and its chairman, Ben-Gvir, brought the application against Abu Shehadeh.

The court nevertheless cleared the Joint List, Ra’am, and MK Ofer Cassif to run, overturning the Central Elections Committee (CEC)’s three other disqualification decisions.

Cassif, who holds the sixth slot on the party's slate, said at the launch event that "Only the Joint List stands against this murky wave of fascism and racism."

"I call on the public from here: Leftists, come home. Leftists, come back home, to the Joint List," he added.