Democrats party head Yair Golan on Wednesday morning called for Israel's opposition to form a government with the resurgent Arab parties in the next Knesset, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost the 2026 election with some 55 seats, compared to the opposition's 65.
"Netanyahu lost. I know how to count to 120. Sixty-five is more than 55. That's how Israeli democracy works. Period," the former IDF deputy chief of staff wrote on social media, including the Arab parties in his coalition calculations.
"We have no future here if we don't stop being afraid...We must no longer accept Netanyahu's racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes," Golan added. "The voice of an Israeli citizen voting in Taybeh is worth exactly as much as the voice of an Israeli citizen voting in Givat Shmuel."
Arguing that the opposition has a majority along with Ra'am and the Joint List, Golan said that his bloc has a "responsibility and an opportunity to form a government of change in partnership with Israel's Arab citizens."
Golan further argued that the opposition won a Zionist majority, saying that the prime minister "should subtract 16 seats" belonging to non-Zionist, haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties in Shas and United Torah Judaism.
All other opposition party leaders in the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu - Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar), Naftali Bennett (B'Yachad), and Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) - have drawn a red line to Arab parties being part of the government, arguing that they are not viable coalition partners after the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023.
The initial election results showed that neither Netanayhu's bloc nor the opposition bloc was able to secure a 61-seat Knesset majority without the support of the Arab parties. The political deadlock could ultimately lead to another election, although the parties may still reach an agreement through coalition negotiations.
The results raised the possibility of a minority government being formed that could win a Knesset confidence vote without holding an absolute majority of 61 seats. In that scenario, Arab parties could agree to support the oppostion bloc. Members of the Arab parties have called to do whatever is possible to prevent Netanyahu from remaining in office.
However, objection within the opposition bloc to relying on Arab parties could complicate such an arrangement. Liberman had openly rejected such an option ahead of the elections.
On Wednesday, Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen said that his party was ready to "pave the way for the ousting of the Netanyahu government." He had previously expressed his willingness to support a minority government, provided a series of demands were met.
"Against a government of bloodshed, against a politics of supremacy, racism, and exclusion, we offer a completely different alternative," he posted on X/Twitter.
"The change comes through Jewish-Arab partnership, a true and equal partnership. No less than that, and no more than that," he added.
Earlier, in an interview with Army Radio, senior Joint List lawmaker Ahmad Tibi hinted at his faction's willingness to sit with the opposition in a government. “The opposition bloc will be able to form a government if it has the courage. We are extending a hand and are ready to help," he said.
Democrats' Gilad Kariv: Israel in a 'different political reality' post-elections
MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) said that Israel is in a "different political reality" the morning after the 2026 Knesset elections and called for the opposition bloc to work with Arab parties.
“The fully right-wing coalition has lost quite a few seats. It will most likely be unable to form a government in a similar configuration," he wrote on X/Twitter.
"The opposition has grown stronger, both in its representation of the liberal Jewish public and in its representation of the Arab public. A substantial majority, by a margin of hundreds of thousands of votes, voted against Netanyahu.
"A huge segment of the Israeli public – one that serves, works, contributes, and creates – expects us to make significant and fateful decisions about Israel’s future and to continue acting together, with the full understanding that Netanyahu and his partners must not be allowed to continue leading our country down the destructive path they have taken over the past four years," he concluded.
Arab parties receive unprecedented number of seats in 2026 elections
This follows projections that two Arab parties, Ra'am and the Joint List, will win seven and 12 seats, respectively, according to data from the Central Elections Committee (CEC) released on Wednesday afternoon.
The opposition bloc, comprising Yashar, B’Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats, is expected to enter the Knesset with 48 seats, according to data from the CEC.
CEC data shows that Golan's Democrats is projected to win eight seats in the 2026 elections.
Both Arab parties were projected to win a record-breaking combined 19 seats, potentially making Arab parties pivotal to coalition negotiations. Netanyahu’s campaign consistently warned against including Arab parties in any future coalition, accusing the opposition bloc of seeking to form a government with their support.
The Bennett-Yair Lapid government formed in 2021 was the first in Israel’s history to include an Arab party, Ra’am, in the coalition – a highly controversial move. Bennett has since taken a firm stance against including any Arab faction in a future coalition.
Ra'am has sought to be seen as a viable coalition partner, with its chairperson Mansour Abbas announcing in August that former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz would be added to hold the second slot on his list.
The move was unprecedented, as he was the first Jewish candidate to join the Islamist-conservative political party. The addition of a Jewish, Zionist candidate to the Arab party’s list has been widely seen as a way for Ra’am to be viewed as a more viable coalition partner.