Parties
ודם
Arab party

Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad)

In opposition

The Joint List is an electoral alliance of Israeli Arab parties on the left and in the opposition. It includes Hadash (socialist, secular and in favor of Jewish-Arab partnership; it grew out of the former Israeli Communist Party in 1977), Ta'al (built around Ahmad Tibi) and Balad (which wants Israel to become a "state of all its citizens" rather than a Jewish state).

The Joint List has never joined a government. It prefers to stay in opposition and uses this as political leverage.

The Joint List supports socialist economic policies, a full withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967 and recognition of a Palestinian state. It wants to repeal the Nation-State Law and supports judicial reforms that strengthen democratic protections while keeping the courts independent.

Heads the listYousef Jabareen

PROVISIONAL RESULTS · counting complete

11seats8.80% of the vote · 499,878 votes
2022 KNESSET5+6
See live results →
Founded2015
ודם
BEFORE YOU VOTE

What list ודם stands for

On securityDetails Against the death penaltyThe Joint List opposes the death penalty law for terrorists.
In short

The Joint List considers this law racist and dangerous for justice. No recent position from the Joint List on Iran was found.

What Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad) proposes
  • Repeal the death penalty law for terrorists.
On the judiciaryDetails Independent judgesThe Joint List wants to protect the independence of the courts.Independent commission of inquiry?Yes: appointed by the Supreme Court
In short

The Joint List supports reforms that strengthen the rights of all citizens, but not reforms that weaken the . The Joint List also wants an independent state commission of inquiry into October 7.

What Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad) proposes
  • A balanced way of appointing that keeps them independent.
  • More democratic protections for all citizens.
On institutionsDetails Against conscriptionThe Joint List opposes any compulsory , including for Haredim.
In short

The Joint List also wants to repeal the . The Joint List has never joined a government.

What Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad) proposes
  • No compulsory .
  • Repeal the Nation-State Law.
On religionDetails Transport on ShabbatThe Joint List wants public transport on Shabbat, so that everyone has equal access to services.
In short

For the Joint List, basic services must be the same for everyone, every day of the week.

What Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad) proposes
  • Buses and trains within and between cities on Shabbat.
On the territoriesDetails Return to the 1967 linesThe Joint List wants a next to Israel, within the 1967 lines.
In short

The Joint List calls for a full withdrawal from the territories taken in 1967. The Joint List wants to restart negotiations with the Palestinian leadership.

What Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad) proposes
  • An independent next to Israel.
  • Withdrawal from the territories taken in 1967.
  • Restart negotiations with the Palestinians.
Documented positions, topic by topic

Positions

✕ Against

Israel should be able to launch a preemptive strike against a country or group that threatens it, even without the support of its allies.

After the Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025, Ayman Odeh (Hadash-Ta’al) filed a no-confidence motion against the government; Hadash generally calls for an end to wars. No Joint List statement on the 2026 war was found.

Ahead of the 2026 elections, Ayman Odeh is pushing to reunite Israel's Arab parties (Times of Israel) · Jun 24, 2025 · source ↗
✓ For

Israel should accept a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, even if Hamas is not fully disarmed.

Hadash, the main component of the Joint List, calls for “an immediate end to the war” in Gaza and the return of all the hostages, with no condition that Hamas be disarmed.

'Time to intensify efforts': Hadash Party backs mass protest against Gaza starvation in Tel Aviv (Jerusalem Post) · Aug 21, 2025 · source ↗

Faced with Iran’s nuclear program, which approach should Israel favor?

Its position: A negotiated agreement with international oversight

Inferred position: Hadash-Ta’al opposed the June 2025 strikes on Iran (Ayman Odeh’s no-confidence motion), without saying which approach it prefers; no Joint List statement on Iran’s nuclear program was found.

Ahead of the 2026 elections, Ayman Odeh is pushing to reunite Israel's Arab parties (Times of Israel) · Jun 24, 2025 · source ↗

Polls

seats / 120

Updated October 23

Candidate list

Sources : Fourchette calculée à partir de 4 instituts entre le 16 et le 19 octobre 2026. N12/Midgam, Maariv/Lazar Research, N13 et Kan 11/Kantar. Le détail complet par institut est disponible dans l'encart sondages de la fiche.

Compare Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al + Balad) with another party

The party's ideology

The Joint List is an electoral alliance of Israeli Arab parties on the left and in the opposition. It includes Hadash (socialist, secular and in favor of Jewish-Arab partnership; it grew out of the former Israeli Communist Party in 1977), Ta'al (built around Ahmad Tibi) and Balad (which wants Israel to become a "state of all its citizens" rather than a Jewish state).

The Joint List has never joined a government. It prefers to stay in opposition and uses this as political leverage.

The Joint List supports socialist economic policies, a full withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967 and recognition of a Palestinian state. It wants to repeal the Nation-State Law and supports judicial reforms that strengthen democratic protections while keeping the courts independent.

Before you vote

What you need to know about this party’s positions before voting

Voting for the Joint List means voting for a coalition that brings together three distinct currents under a single ballot, a genuine internal spectrum that a single vote cannot distinguish between.

In terms of political representation

  • The coalition brings together Hadash's secular socialist tradition and Jewish-Arab partnership, the more pragmatic politics centered on the figure of Ahmad Tibi (Ta'al), and Balad's more structural demand to replace the framework of a Jewish state with a “state of all its citizens”.
  • Unlike Ra'am, which chose to join a governing coalition in 2021, the Joint List has never entered government and treats permanent opposition as a deliberate strategy and a marker of identity, rather than negotiating participation in exchange for concrete gains.

In diplomatic terms

  • The party's position on the Palestinian question is consistent and unambiguous: full withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967 and recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, without the vague formulations found elsewhere on the political spectrum.

In judicial and security terms

  • The party supports reforms that strengthen democratic protections while explicitly preserving judicial independence, placing it on the side of those defending the current balance of powers rather than those seeking to weaken the Supreme Court.
  • No statement on Iran specific to this electoral cycle was found, leaving its security stance less documented than its domestic positions.

In institutional terms

  • In late September 2026, the Central Elections Committee voted to exclude the party (along with Ra'am) from this election on the basis of allegations of support for armed struggle against the state and denial of its Jewish character, a disqualification that the Supreme Court unanimously overturned on October 2, 2026, allowing the list to run.
  • The party is also in the midst of a transition: reconstituted in August 2026 under a new leader, Yousef Jabareen, after the failure of negotiations for a single Arab list including Ra'am, and after Ayman Odeh, its longtime leader, chose not to run again for the party chairmanship.

Key positions

Israel-Palestinian Conflict

The Joint List makes the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel a condition for its support for a future government. On October 13, 2026, Youssef Jabareen calls for a “diplomatic horizon” negotiated with the Palestinian leadership, while acknowledging that a state will not come into being the day after the elections.

Security & National Defense

Hadash and Ta’al, components of the Joint List, voted against the March 30, 2026 law on the , and Ahmad Tibi and Ayman Odeh backed Adalah’s petition against it.

Territories & Settlements

The Joint List opposes the settlements: Yousef Jabareen calls for “a clear position against the settlements” and for withdrawal from Judea and Samaria/the West Bank.

Democracy & Institutions

Inferred position: the Joint List is in opposition to the Netanyahu government and fears the government’s influence over institutions; no statement on the October 7 commission of inquiry was found.

Israel’s Jewish & Democratic Identity

The Joint List says it is ready to support in the any government that replaces Netanyahu, while imposing its own conditions, and defends the legitimacy of Arab representation; Balad remains reluctant to take part directly in a .

Economy, Welfare & Public Services

The Joint List calls for more public budgets for Arab society, and Hadash advocates an expanded welfare state and opposes privatization; the question of taxes is not addressed explicitly.

History

Hadash, its historical component, emerged in 1977 from the former Israeli Communist Party (Rakah), on a platform of social justice and Jewish-Arab partnership. Since 2015, Hadash has regularly allied with Ta'al and Balad on a common list, the “Joint List” (Joint List), to pass the electoral threshold.

Reconstituted on August 19, 2026, after the failure of negotiations for a single Arab list including Ra'am, it is led by Yousef Jabareen (elected chair of Hadash on May 16, 2026, after Ayman Odeh, who had led the party for years, chose not to run again, as did Aida Touma-Suleiman), with Ahmad Tibi heading the parliamentary group. With 10 seats, the expected distribution would be five for Hadash, three for Balad and two for Ta'al.

On September 23, 2026, the Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify the Joint List (as well as Ra'am) from the October 27, 2026 election. On October 2, 2026, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned this disqualification, ruling that the evidence presented did not meet the strict criteria established by case law; the party is therefore permitted to run.

Current platform

  • The party advocates a socialist economic orientation and a strengthened welfare state.
  • It calls for the resumption of negotiations for an independent Palestinian state and withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967.
  • Its Balad component advocates transforming Israel into a secular democracy for all its citizens rather than a Jewish state.
  • The party calls for the repeal of the Nation-State Law.
  • It makes removing Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich from power its central electoral objective.

Promises and record

The Joint List is a coalition of longstanding opposition parties (Hadash has existed for several decades); it has never entered government. It has consistently voted against legislation deemed discriminatory toward Arab citizens, notably the Nation-State Law (2018) and the law prohibiting all contact with UNRWA (2024).

Candidate list (15)

4 women11 men

Documented positions

Security & National Defense4 positions

Israel should apply the death penalty to people convicted of deadly attacks.

Hadash and Ta’al, components of the Joint List, voted against the March 30, 2026 law on the death penalty, and Ahmad Tibi and Ayman Odeh backed Adalah’s petition against it.

Source :Death Penalty for Terrorists Law (Wikipedia)· 2026-03-30

Israel-Palestinian Conflict4 positions

Who should govern Gaza in the long term?

Inferred position: the Joint List (Ta’al, Balad) calls for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a Palestinian state that includes Gaza; it has not taken a position on a specific transitional arrangement.

Source :Ta'al (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11

To reach an agreement with the Palestinians, Israel should be ready to give up part of Judea and Samaria/West Bank.

The Joint List calls for an Israeli withdrawal from all of Judea and Samaria/the West Bank, to the 1967 lines, in order to establish a Palestinian state there with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Source :Joint List (Hadash, Ta'al, Balad), guide électoral 2026 (Israel Education Center)· 2026-10-02

Israel should accept the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement.

The Joint List makes the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel a condition for its support for a future government. On October 13, 2026, Youssef Jabareen calls for a “diplomatic horizon” negotiated with the Palestinian leadership, while acknowledging that a state will not come into being the day after the elections.

Source :JNS, d'après Radio 103FM : Youssef Jabareen· 2026-10-13

Territories & Settlements2 positions
Religion & State2 positions

Public transport should operate on Shabbat where local residents want it.

Inferred position: Hadash and Balad advocate a secular state without religious coercion; no recent Joint List statement on public transport on Shabbat was found.

Source :Hadash (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11

Israel should allow civil marriage, in addition to religious marriage.

Inferred position: Hadash includes secularism and “the prevention of religious coercion” among its principles, and Balad advocates a secular state; no recent Joint List statement on civil marriage was found.

Source :Hadash (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11

Democracy & Institutions2 positions

The October 7 inquiry should be entrusted to a , whose members are appointed by the Supreme Court president, rather than to a commission whose members are chosen by the Knesset.

Inferred position: the Joint List is in opposition to the Netanyahu government and fears the government’s influence over institutions; no statement on the October 7 commission of inquiry was found.

Source :Joint List (Hadash, Ta'al, Balad), fiche Israel Vote (Middle East Forum), citant Jabareen sur Radio Al-Nas· 2026-08-24

Israel’s Jewish & Democratic Identity2 positions

What should be done with the 2018 “Nation-State” law?

The Joint List calls for the repeal of the “Nation-State” law: its parties made it a condition in 2022 and advocate “a state of all its citizens”.

Source :Israel Political Parties: Hadash (Jewish Virtual Library)· 2026-10-11

Economy, Welfare & Public Services1 position
Individual Rights & Society1 position

Publicly funded services should be allowed to offer separate spaces for men and women when a community asks for it.

Inferred position: Hadash advocates “full equal rights for women” and secularism; no Joint List statement on gender segregation in public services was found.

Source :Hadash (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11

What next?

Sources : Fourchette calculée à partir de 4 instituts entre le 16 et le 19 octobre 2026. N12/Midgam, Maariv/Lazar Research, N13 et Kan 11/Kantar. Le détail complet par institut est disponible dans l'encart sondages de la fiche.

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