Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi heads into the 2026 election as one of the best-known Arab politicians in Israel, a name that provokes strong reactions on both sides of the political map. A physician by profession and a former adviser to Yasser Arafat, he has served in the Knesset continuously since 1999, leads Ta'al and has been a deputy speaker of the Knesset, and his debating skill and media presence have made him one of the most prominent voices in the struggle for civic equality for Arab citizens, far beyond his own voters. That same prominence also serves his opponents: in the campaign for the April 2019 election, Likud used the slogan "Bibi or Tibi." In August Tibi briefly halted the negotiations to re-establish the Joint List because the proposed framework left Ta'al with the smallest representation of the three parties; on August 19 the agreement with Hadash and Balad was signed, placing him second behind Yousef Jabareen, with the expectation that he will chair the joint faction in the Knesset. On September 19 he said in an interview with Channel 12 News that the list would back a candidate against Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana as soon as the new Knesset is sworn in, even without a coalition agreement. The Central Elections Committee disqualified the list on September 23, and the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the disqualification on October 2. With Ayman Odeh not running this time, Tibi is the longest-serving of the list's leaders, and Arab turnout on October 27 will test how much weight his voice still carries.