Political analyst Abed Abu Shhadeh stated that the incitement against Israeli-Palestinian citizens and Arab parties over the past few years has generally undermined the legitimacy of their participation in Israeli politics. He described the opposition's refusal to accept Arab party leaders as partners as the definition of "apartheid." He added that the opposition might also form a minority government with Arab parties abstaining rather than voting against it. Last month, the Israeli Central Elections Committee voted to ban the Joint List and Ra'am from running, a decision later overturned by the Supreme Court, which nonetheless required Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh to withdraw from the race due to an article in which he referred to the October 7 attack as "a significant historical event."