Dr. Akram Hasson, a loyalist of Israel's Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz, joined the Knesset parliament on Thursday.

With Hasson, there are currently six Druze members in the Knesset, belonging to the Likud, the Balad, Yisrael Beitenu and Independence parties.

"The Arab parties have made a mistake all these years by staying in the opposition and not joining the coalition where they could better serve their constituency," The Jerusalem Post daily quoted Hasson as saying. Hasson replaced Kadima lawmaker Gideon Ezra, who died of lung cancer early Thursday.

Previously, Hasson served as mayor of his city in the north, Daliat al Carmel, and currently works as president of the Carmel College.

Mofaz joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition earlier this month in a surprise political move that shocked the whole country.

A deal was reached between Mofaz and Netanyahu bringing aboard the coalition recently-elected Mofaz along with Kadima's 27 mandates, forming a massive 94-member coalition.

Netanyahu now has the largest coalition in Israel's history, granting him significantly enhanced political power on major domestic and international moves.