MK Ahmed Tibi, head of the Ta'al party, claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dragged US President Donald Trump into a war against Iran, just as he previously pushed the United States toward war with Iraq in 2003.
In an interview with the Arabic-language Kul al-Arab newspaper, Tibi said that Netanyahu is the only leader who pulls the United States into wars. He criticized Israeli commentators who made flawed strategic assessments and refused to admit their mistakes. He further claimed that reality shows that there are no winners in wars, and all sides - including Iran, Israel, and the Gulf states - have suffered losses.
Tibi noted that incidents of crime and violence within Arab society tend to decrease during wartime. At the same time, he claimed that although Netanyahu had promised to combat crime in the Arab sector, no real results are visible, and criminal organizations do not feel deterred by the police.
Tibi launched an attack on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, accusing him of making inciting statements and showing no concern for victims of violence in the Arab sector. In this context, Tibi said that Ben Gvir supports the slogan "Death to Arabs," and that the killings within Arab society are essentially a realization of that statement. He added that the use of crime-related weapons against Arab society constitutes a betrayal of that society.
On the political front, Tibi assessed that there is a high likelihood of re-forming the Joint List, which unites all the Arab parties on one slate, despite efforts by certain elements within the "change camp" to thwart the move, as they have no interest in increasing Arab voter turnout.
He pointed out that public opinion polls indicate the Joint List could secure between 15 and 17 seats in the Knesset - a political force strong enough to prevent the formation of a government led by Netanyahu.
"Arab votes must go to Arab parties and not to other parties," Tibi said. He added that Arab society wants the Joint List to return in order to block the establishment of a right-wing government.
Tibi further stated, "After the elections, we will take a step we have not taken before. I will not reveal the details now…there are those who have explicitly said they do not want us to receive more than 10 seats or to increase Arab voter turnout. Could there be greater chutzpah than that? They aspire to reach 61 seats without the Arabs."
The leaders of the Arab parties in January signed a document committing them to work toward re-establishing the Joint List ahead of the next elections. However, no final agreement has been reached on the actual formation of the slate.
The Joint List was originally established in 2015, bringing together Hadash, Ta’al, Ra’am, and Balad. At its peak in the 2020 elections, it won 15 seats - a record achievement for Arab party representation in the Knesset.