Joint List

Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh virtually joins a Central Elections Committee hearing on a request to disqualify him from the upcoming elections, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Palestinian MKs in Israel have long faced election bans. This time is different

From Ben Gvir to the Democrats, Israeli politicians have called to disqualify the Balad party chair — and the Supreme Court may no longer serve as a backstop.

By Samah Watad September 30, 2026

Head of Ra'am Mansour Abbas holds a joint press conference with new party member Yoav Segalovich in Nazareth, August 31, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Budgets for submission: What Israel’s opposition offers Palestinian citizens

The terms of Arab participation in Israeli politics haven’t changed in 80 years. While the Joint List remains sidelined, Ra’am has taken the deal.

By Waseem Hosary September 21, 2026

Members of Knesset Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi walking outside the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Palestinians could decide Israel’s election. But their parties are at a stalemate

Core disputes over how to utilize political power may not be resolved in time to form a new Joint List — and competing parties are ready to capitalize.

By Samah Watad July 24, 2026

Latest

Hadash MK Ayman Odeh and Ta'al MK Ahmad Tibi seen during a Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Can a renewed Joint List survive until Israel’s elections?

The leaders of Israel’s four Arab parties say they agree on the importance of a unified electoral alliance. Yet they remain divided on the terms of the pact.

By Samah Salaime April 14, 2026

Palestinian citizens of Israel, including Hadash party head Ayman Odeh, hold a mass demonstration against the epidemic of criminal violence and state neglect, Sakhnin, northern Israel, January 22, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

What the Joint List’s revival signifies for Palestinian politics in Israel

Beyond electoral arithmetic, the reunification of Arab parties is a step toward rebuilding political infrastructure and combating social fragmentation.

By Abed Abou Shhadeh January 28, 2026

Ra'am head Mansour Abbas attends a session in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament. May 16, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/FLASH90)

Netanyahu’s veiled threat to outlaw Ra’am is a message to all Palestinian citizens

With elections in the offing, the prime minister is plotting another term in power via delegitimizing an Arab kingmaker and suppressing voter turnout.

By Ameer Makhoul December 1, 2025

Democrats head Yair Golan, National Unity head Benny Gantz, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, and Yisrael Beyteinu party Avigdor Liberman hold a joint press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel’s opposition is plotting a return to power. But it remains its own worst enemy

Despite a strong showing in the polls, Israel’s center-left camp is still in denial about its only trump card: joining forces with Palestinian-led parties.

By Joshua Leifer September 15, 2025

Members of the Joint list are seen during celebrations in the headquarters of Joint List in the city of Nazareth, on the night of the Israeli general elections, March 17, 2015. (Akrm Drawshi/Activestills)

What can the Joint List teach us about building Palestinian political power?

Ten years after its formation, this experiment in Palestinian unity inside Israel — and its ultimate collapse — shows the need for carefully cultivated alliances.

By Rida Abu Rass May 23, 2025

Members of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel and Arab parliament members hold a press conference at a protest tent in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem regarding violence in their community, November 3, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

‘The government’s goal is to leave Palestinians in Israel without leadership’

Despite criticisms of the body, Palestinian citizens view efforts to outlaw the High Follow-Up Committee as a dangerous attack on their political rights.

By Baker Zoubi August 10, 2023

Members of the Joint List arrive for a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, as Rivlin begins consulting political leaders to decide who to task with trying to form a new government, September 22, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Joint List is dead. Who will lead the fight for Palestinian citizens?

The re-fragmentation of Palestinian parties in Israel exemplifies the lack of a political compass to guide their struggle, with the public divided on how to confront both a far-right government and a broken liberation movement.

By Amjad Iraqi November 7, 2022

Members of the Joint List arrive for a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence, Jerusalem, September 22, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The forgotten role of Palestinian citizens in Israel’s coalition wars

Contrary to popular belief, Arab parties have been backing prime ministerial candidates for decades. But what did they gain from the political game?

By Wadea Awawdy October 27, 2022

Head of the left wing Meretz party Zehava Galon, September 10, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Can Zehava Galon make Meretz matter?

Zehava Galon has returned to lead Meretz out of a sense of duty. To defeat resurgent Kahanism, she says she is willing to compromise on policy. But can she really influence her potential coalition partners?

By Meron Rapoport September 14, 2022

Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas and party members at the party headquarters in Tamra, on election night, March 23, 2021. (Flash90)

Disillusioned with Ra’am, a new party wants Bedouins to have their own voice

The Islamist Ra'am has long had strong support in the Naqab. But after the party's failures in government, Bedouin citizens are demanding a change.

By Baker Zoubi August 17, 2022