OMM Newsroom
Hundreds of Israelis rallied on Saturday to demand a new government that includes Arab parties and ends outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule, after parties opposed to him won a combined parliamentary majority, according to Anadolu Agency.
About 300 people gathered in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel to call for Arab parties to join the next government, Haaretz reported. Several hundred others rallied in Habima Square in central Tel Aviv with the same demand, according to The Times of Israel.
Demonstrators in Tel Aviv held signs in Arabic and Hebrew reading, “67 seats. Let’s take a new path,” referring to the combined total of parties opposed to Netanyahu, including the Arab Joint List and Ra’am, in the 120-seat Knesset.
“Without partnership, there is no peace,” protesters chanted. Others called for an end to “divide and rule” and demanded “freedom and equality for all.” The movement “Standing Together,” which advocates Jewish-Arab partnership and political equality, took part in the rally.
Some protesters also called for the release of journalist Abd Abu Shahadeh. Israeli media reported that he was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent after travelling to Doha to interview former Knesset member Azmi Bishara.
The protests took place shortly before Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday that he would task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government, the Israeli news site “Ynet” reported.
Eisenkot was invited to receive the mandate at a ceremony at the President’s Residence on Sunday at 5 pm local time (1500 GMT), according to the report.
Parties opposed to Netanyahu won 67 seats in the election, including 19 held by the two Arab lists, while parties supporting him won 53. Most leaders of Israeli opposition parties oppose forming a government that relies on Arab parties. Those opposition parties hold 48 seats between them, short of the 61 needed for a majority.
