The Sept. 15 deadline for submitting party lists for the Nov. 1 Israeli elections was a day of high drama. The Joint List split at the last minute. Ahead of the last elections, the alliance lost one of its four partners when Ra’am under Mansour Abbas decided to run on its own ticket. This time, Balad decided to run alone. Now only Hadash and Ta’al will run together under the name of the Joint List.

The trigger for the Sept. 15 split was a dispute over the sixth spot on the list, reserved for Balad. The problem began when Knesset member Ahmad Tibi insisted that the seat go to his own Ta’al party. Balad refused to concede.

The breakup was perhaps not unexpected, as there were no direct three-way negotiations between the member parties of the Joint List. Negotiations were bilateral, with Hadash negotiating separately with Balad and Ta’al following disagreements and bad blood between the parties.

Recent surveys predict a record low turnout for Arab voters in the upcoming election. Thus, the split of the Joint List could have devastating implications for the number of Arab lawmakers in the next Knesset. Balad faces the risk of failing to pass the vote threshold.