Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Saturday urging Israel’s opposition to strike a deal with Arab parties to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Al Jazeera, citing AFP, reported some demonstrators calling it the “last chance for real change”; Netanyahu supporters held a counterprotest against a government with “terrorists.”

In Tuesday’s election Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s 48 — neither can form a majority alone in the 120-seat Knesset. Arab-led parties took 19 seats; nearly 840,000 people voted for Ra’am and the Joint List, a 64% rise from 2022, according to the Central Election Committee.

An Eisenkot–Arab coalition would yield 67 seats, a comfortable majority. Eisenkot had previously ruled out such an alliance; the post-election deadlock makes it a possible path. For many Israelis, partnering with Arab parties remains politically fraught.

Netanyahu accused Palestinian-Israeli parties of “stealing” the polls with Qatari funding; Qatar rejects the claim as a disinformation campaign. Correspondent Nour Odeh said right-wing circles framed the Arab turnout as “electoral terrorism,” equating it with 7 October 2023 — rhetoric the pro-coalition protesters reject.

The Times of Israel put Saturday’s Tel Aviv crowd at about 2,000 for a Jewish–Arab government. Ynet reports Eisenkot is also weighing outside-support options (Ra’am, ultra-Orthodox) — still without a formal deal. Government formation hinges on consultations with President Isaac Herzog; another election remains possible if talks fail.

Source: Thousands rally in Israel urging ‘Jewish-Arab’ coalition to oust Netanyahu (Al Jazeera); confirmation: Israel’s president says parties need to engage with ‘open heart’ to avoid fresh election (NBC News)