Thousands rally in Tel Aviv urging coalition to oust Netanyahu

Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to press the Israeli opposition to form a coalition with Arab parties and remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Protesters told AFP the rally could be “the last chance for real change”, describing Netanyahu as a “great manipulator”. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has so far ruled out any partnership with Arab parties, but a deadlock after Tuesday’s election means such a coalition could give him a majority.

The election left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats and Eisenkot’s with 48 in the 120‑seat Knesset, while three Arab‑led parties secured 19 seats. Nearly 840,000 voters backed Ra’am and the Joint List, a 64 percent rise from the 2022 election, according to the Central Election Committee.

Supporters of Netanyahu staged a counter‑protest, shouting that “Israel should not have a government with so‑called terrorists”. Netanyahu has accused Palestinian‑Israeli parties of “stealing” the vote and of receiving funding from Qatar, allegations the Gulf state has denied.

Right‑wing commentators in Israel have labelled the historic Arab‑Israeli turnout as “electoral terrorism”, linking it to the October 7 attack that killed more than 1,200 people.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Mohammed Abubakr / Pexels.