The Hadash party announced Sunday that it would promote direct dialogue with other Arab parties, including the Islamist Ra’am, to explore the revival of a Joint List, a party that briefly united disparate Arab and Arab-majority parties.

The move comes amid growing pressure from within Arab society to bolster political influence, not just in the opposition in Knesset, but through participation in government. Recent anti-war activism has also created a rare moment of alignment among Arab political leaders.

On Sunday, a three-day hunger strike was launched in Jaffa with a joint press conference by lawmakers from Ra’am, Ta’al, Hadash, and leaders from Balad, which is not currently in Knesset. In a shared message, they called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the release of hostages, and international recognition of Palestinian statehood.

This followed a 10,000-person protest against the war in Gaza on Friday in the northern Arab town of Sakhnin, just a day after 24 people were arrested at a similar demonstration in Haifa. According to Arabic-language outlet Arab48, smaller anti-war rallies also took place in Jaffa, Tira, and Kabul.

“After Sakhnin and Jaffa, the desire to build upon the Joint List project is growing,” a Hadash spokesperson told The Times of Israel. “But this is something that has been in the works for a long time.”

Though details remain sparse regarding the progress of the talks, Ra’am MK Iman Khatib-Yassin welcomed the development, saying: “Ra’am has always called for a........

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