Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, urging opposition parties to reach an agreement with Arab parties to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power.

The protesters described the move as perhaps the “last real chance” for change, accusing Netanyahu of being a “manipulator”, AFP reported.

Netanyahu’s supporters also gathered in a counter-demonstration, branding Arabs as “terrorists”.

Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot had previously ruled out forming an alliance with Arab parties. However, with neither bloc securing a parliamentary majority in Tuesday’s election, support from Arab parties could help him form a government.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said people genuinely wanted their votes for change to succeed.

“They believe Gadi Eisenkot and other leaders of Jewish-Israeli parties should listen to the people’s voice,” she said.

Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats in the recent election, while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc secured 48 seats in Israel’s 120-member parliament, leaving neither side in a position to form a government independently.

Three Arab-led parties made significant gains in Tuesday’s election, securing a combined 19 seats.

According to the Central Elections Committee, around 840,000 people voted for Ra’am and the Joint List, an alliance of three Arab parties, marking a 64 per cent increase compared with the 2022 election.

The electoral gains by Arab parties mean that an alliance with Eisenkot’s bloc could potentially secure a comfortable majority of 67 seats.

However, forming a coalition with Arab parties remains politically unacceptable to many Israelis.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has accused opposition parties of electoral fraud and alleged that they received funding from Qatar to carry out the alleged scheme.

Qatar has rejected the allegations, describing them as a disinformation campaign.