Netanyahu calls Ra'am and Joint List a threat as Knesset is sworn in

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used an address to the newly sworn-in Knesset on November 10, 2026 to repeat his call for a national unity government, while accusing the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List of seeking Israel's destruction, The Times of Israel reported. He also warned his political opponents not to depend on the backing of those parties to put together a coalition.

The speech came after Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority in elections held last month, and after President Isaac Herzog gave the mandate to form a government to Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party. According to The Times of Israel, the attack continued a line Netanyahu pursued throughout the campaign, portraying the Arab parties as supporters of terrorism in what the outlet described as an apparent effort to weaken the ability of Eisenkot and his partners to govern with their support.

What Netanyahu said in the chamber

Alongside the attack on the Arab parties, Netanyahu turned to Iran. He told lawmakers that Iran was working to revive the nuclear threat, and said the only permanent solution was to "overthrow the ayatollahs' regime," according to the Times of Israel account of the speech. The report did not give his full remarks on the unity government proposal, including who he would want it to include or on what terms.

Posts on X the same evening

Later that day, Netanyahu posted two short messages in Hebrew on his X account repeating the theme. In one, he wrote a single word, "Shame!", followed by a warning that a dangerous government must not be established with what he called the terror supporters of Ra'am and the Joint List. In an earlier post, he asked what the difference was between Ra'am and the Joint List, before repeating the same warning. These are Netanyahu's own characterisations of the two parties; neither post offered evidence for the accusation, and they are reported here as what he said.

Who Ra'am and the Joint List are

Ra'am, a Hebrew acronym usually rendered in English as the United Arab List, is a party drawing its support mainly from Arab citizens of Israel and has roots in the Islamic Movement. The Joint List is an alliance of Arab-majority parties that has run together in a number of past elections. Arab citizens make up a significant minority of Israel's population, and parties representing them sit in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Whether Jewish-majority parties should form a government that relies on Arab parties, either as coalition members or as outside supporters, has been one of the most contested questions in Israeli politics. Ra'am previously took part in a governing coalition, a step that was unprecedented for an independent Arab party and that Netanyahu and his allies strongly criticised at the time. His remarks this week place that debate at the centre of the current coalition talks.

How Israeli governments are formed

After an election, the president, whose role is largely ceremonial, consults the parties elected to the Knesset and then tasks one member with trying to assemble a coalition that can command a majority. That mandate has now gone to Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff who leads Yashar, rather than to Netanyahu. If the member given the mandate cannot form a government within the time allowed, the process can pass to others.

A national unity government in Israeli usage typically means a broad coalition bringing together the main rival blocs, rather than one side governing with a narrow majority. By calling for one while attacking the Arab parties, Netanyahu is arguing for an arrangement that would include his own camp and exclude Ra'am and the Joint List.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports includes a response from Ra'am, the Joint List, Eisenkot or Yashar to Netanyahu's accusations or to his unity proposal. The reports also do not say whether Eisenkot intends to seek the support of either Arab party, or what form any such support might take, and they do not set out Netanyahu's specific conditions for joining a unity government.