Abou Shehadeh's party dismisses 'attempt to silence'; Netanyahu-led bloc seen as unlikely to back the move, preferring Balad have a chance to fall below electoral threshold

There are still more than six weeks to go until election day, but the splintering of the Joint List may prove decisive

With Balad unlikely to cross election threshold, Netanyahu's Likud not expected to petition for Arab nationalist faction to be disqualified as it has in past

Ayman Odeh predicts Hadash-Ta'al 'will be the most important party' after election if neither side has majority, though split from Balad largely seen as boon to Netanyahu's bloc

Netanyahu said to promise NIS 3 billion a year for ultra-Orthodox education to ensure joint run of Ashkenazi Haredi parties in UTJ; Meretz still willing to merge with Labor

Report says meeting with senior Joint List lawmakers was aimed at returning Ra’am to the fold, after it ran separately in the last elections and joined coalition

Israeli TV network quotes unnamed Palestinian official who confirms that intelligence chief met Arab MKs but insists report about effort to interfere in election is false

In latest spar with fellow gov't members, defense minister says FM's desire to strengthen troops during tense days 'legitimate' but that avoiding destabilizing steps is critical

Joint List MK also criticizes foreign minister's tour of Jerusalem's Old City, accusing him of 'adding fuel to the fire' amid rising tensions

Owner of Israeli team says Spanish soccer team insisted the game be held somewhere other than Jerusalem; Joint List MK welcomes decision