Netanyahu offers broad government talks, rules out Ra'am and the Joint List

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he is willing to hold discussions on forming a broad government, on condition that he heads it and that it does not rely on two Arab-led parties, Ra'am and the Joint List. The statement, posted on X and circulated by Israeli outlets, was his first public comment on the shape of the next coalition since election night, according to Ynet.

In the statement, Netanyahu said Israelis do not want a coalition resting on those two parties, which he said back terror and reject Israel's existence as a Jewish state. He said his side had sought a "broad national government" from the outset and that he was open to dialogue with any party that does not support terrorism, as published in full by political commentator Amit Segal. He also said most Jewish voters had made Likud the biggest party and picked him to head the next government.

Talks under way, or an offer of talks?

The reports differ on how far the process has gone. The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu said he has been holding talks since Sunday on forming such a government. The Hebrew text of the statement as carried by Amit Segal and News.co.il describes him as open to holding a dialogue, without saying that talks have already started. Ynet's headline framed it the same way, as an openness to discussion with his partners, adding that he would lead.

Ynet and Amit Segal, in a post shared by the N12 news channel, both noted what the statement left out: Netanyahu did not use the word "unity", the term usually associated in Israel with a coalition shared between rival camps, and he did not offer to share or rotate the premiership. Ynet said the remarks came against a background of calls to form a government with Eisenkot.

The election arithmetic

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, is elected by nationwide proportional representation, and a prime minister must assemble a coalition that commands a majority of its members. According to The Times of Israel, Likud won 27 seats in last week's vote, the most of any party, but the bloc of parties backing Netanyahu fell to a combined 53 seats and lost its governing majority. The remaining 67 seats are divided between Jewish-led parties, which hold 48, and Arab-led parties, which hold 19.

Those figures explain the significance of Netanyahu's exclusion of Ra'am and the Joint List. Without his bloc, any alternative coalition built from the other parties would likely need support from Arab-led factions to reach a majority. By ruling those parties out, Netanyahu is signalling that he will seek additional partners among the Jewish-led parties outside his bloc.

Who are Ra'am and the Joint List?

Ra'am is the Hebrew acronym for the United Arab List, the name Haaretz used in its report. The Joint List is another party drawing its support mainly from Arab citizens of Israel. Haaretz reported that Netanyahu accused both parties of backing terrorism and of opposing Israel's character as a Jewish state. The parties' response was not included in the reports reviewed.

The Times of Israel observed that Netanyahu's reference to the Jewish public appeared to place Jewish citizens ahead of Israel's 2.1 million Arab citizens, who it said voted in record numbers in this election.

What the reports do not say

• Which parties, if any, Netanyahu has approached, and whether any have agreed to talk. The reports do not name potential partners beyond his existing bloc.
• Whether talks have actually begun. The Times of Israel says since Sunday; other outlets describe only an offer of dialogue.
• How Eisenkot or other opposition figures responded to the statement.
• Any reply from Ra'am or the Joint List to the accusation that they support terror.
• What role, if any, Netanyahu's offer leaves for leaders of other parties in a broad government.