Israel election: Five-party opposition bloc takes aim at Netanyahu

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Five of Israel's largest opposition parties have joined forces in a bid to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, exactly one month before the October 27 legislative election.

The leaders of the five parties met Saturday evening at the home of opposition leader Yair Lapid and formed what they called the "Change Bloc."

The alliance includes Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's strongest rival, whose party is polling at least three to four seats ahead of Netanyahu's; the Democrats, led by Yair Golan; Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman; Together, led by Naftali Bennett; and Yesh Atid, led by Lapid.

The five leaders signed a document pledging to contest the election under a shared objective: "Replacing the government — our highest common goal."

The bloc aims to secure 63 of the Knesset's 120 seats.
Current polls indicate that Netanyahu's right-wing bloc, which includes all parties in the religious and far-right coalition, could secure between 52 and 54 seats, leaving it short of a majority.

Experts also say the five-party opposition alliance is unlikely to reach 63 seats on its own.

That has put attention on the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas and affiliated with the Islamic Movement. Abbas has said he is prepared to join an Israeli government.

Attention is also focused on the Joint List, which rejects joining any Israeli government and comprises three parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel. 

It is headed by Yousef Jabareen of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality and includes the Communist Party, the Arab Movement for Change led by Ahmad Tibi and the National Democratic Assembly, led from abroad by Azmi Bishara. Sami Abu Shehadeh heads the list and is challenging in court an Election Committee decision barring him from running.

Polls give the Joint List between six and eight seats and Abbas' United Arab List between five and six.

That means the Israeli opposition alliance would need to secure the support of Abbas' bloc. Based on current projections, the opposition could win at least 55 seats and, with the six seats projected for Abbas' list, could potentially form a government and bring Netanyahu's tenure to an end.

The question in Israel is whether Abbas, whose party is close to the Muslim Brotherhood, could set a precedent in the country's history.

Some within the Israeli opposition itself oppose partnering with Abbas, leaving uncertainty over whether such a scenario could materialize.