Arab Joint List May Lead Opposition in Knesset

The Arab parties in Israel may succeed in leading opposition in the new Knesset (the Israeli parliament).

Representatives of those parties form the biggest opposition bloc in the Israeli legislative body.

The Zionist parties mull over forming a national unity government that including the Likud (right) led by Benjamin Netanyahu and White and Blue ( left- centrist) chaired by former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

It is worth to mention that the general Israeli election held on Tuesday resulted in 33 seats for Blue and White party and 31 seats for the Likud.

Either of the leading winning parties could not gain majority in the new Knesset so they should enter a coalition with minor parties.

The Joint Arab List which represents the Arab behind the Green Line, led by Ayman Odeh, won 13 seats.

The Arab bloc came third in the winning parties after Blue and White and Likud.

On the other hand, Gantz has excluded entering  a coalition with the Likud.

No Arab party  until now has participated in any Israeli government since establishing the Jewish state before 72 years.

The Arab minority in Israel is more than 21% of the population.

If Odeh becomes leader of the opposition, he will receive reports of security agencies such as Shabak, Shin Bet and the Mossad.

The Arab Knesset members request Israel to terminate occupation of West Bank and dismantle settlements there as well as establishing a Palestinian state and Jerusalem will be its capital.

Speaking on Israeli radio Friday morning, the Director General of the President's office, Harel Tubi, said Rivlin would not necessarily give the mandate to the leader of the party with the most seats or the most support from the smaller parties.

Rather, Tubi said the president would give the mandate to the candidate with the "highest chances of forming a government" -- leaving open the prospect he could give it to either man, even though it now appears certain that Gantz's Blue and White party will end up with the most seats.

Given the complexities of the current situation, however, it is far from clear that either Netanyahu or Gantz would actually want to go first in the race; many analysts believe it is in both men's interests to see the other man make the initial attempt, on the presumption that a first round of coalition talks will likely end in failure.

Third election looms

Rivlin's talks with party leaders are scheduled to last two days, after which he will appoint one of them to begin formal coalition talks.

In the event those talks fail to reach agreement in the maximum allotted six weeks' time, the president would most likely ask the leader of the other main party to have a go. If those talks also end in failure, the prospect of yet another general election -- which the Times of Israel has labeled a "nightmare third election scenario" -- could become a reality.