A month and a half to the elections: The process of submission of the party slates for the elections to the 25th Knesset was completed on Thursday evening at the Central Elections Committee, and the last-minute drama took place in the predominantly Arab Joint List Party, where it was decided to split: Hadash-Ta'al will run together and Balad, led by MK Samy Abu Shahadeh, will run separately.
The distribution of the Arab votes to three separate parties - Ra'am, Hadash-Ta'al and Balad, increases the chance that one of them will not pass the electoral threshold, which would bring Benjamin Netanyahu closer to the 61st seat that will allow for the formation of a right-wing government.
On the other hand, the separation of the extremist Balad from the Ta'al-Hadash slate will make it easier for Yair Lapid to lean on them to form a government.
The chairman of Hadash MK Ayman Odeh said at the Central Elections Committee after Balad submitted the forms separately, "We wanted as broad a unity as possible."
Ta’al chairman MK Ahmed Tibi said, "There is drama here, we wanted a different situation, to save the Joint List, and this is very unfortunate."
MK Itamar Ben Gvir of Otzma Yehudit commented on the move, saying, "When Israel's enemies fight each other - we can only welcome it and be happy about it. In any case, we will establish a right-wing government and deport the terrorist supporters Abu Shahadeh, along with Tibi, Odeh and Cassif to Syria. I wish all of them that they fail in the elections that, with God's help, will lead to the victory of the national camp."