4 min read Nov 3, 2026 11:13 AM IST First published on: Nov 3, 2026 at 09:48 AM IST

A tattered net hangs from a goal during a pickup soccer game in the Bedouin city of Rahat, southern Israel. (Photo: AP)

Yousef Jabareen, the leader of Israel’s main Arab coalition, says he is ready to join the opposition “Change” bloc to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after last week’s election. He told The Guardian that Israel has a chance to change direction.

Netanyahu’s coalition lost its majority and fell from 68 to 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. The Change bloc, led by retired general Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats. Arab parties won a record 19 seats, which gives them the balance of power.

Turnout among Arab Israelis, who are Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and make up 20% of the population, more than doubled to about 80%. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, is due to meet party leaders as early as Wednesday to hear who they want to see get the first chance to form a government.…