Arab-led parties win record 19 seats in Israeli Knesset

Arab-led political parties secured 19 seats in the 120-member Israeli Knesset following Tuesday's elections, marking the highest number in their history. The Central Election Committee reported that more than 800,000 citizens voted for Ra’am and the Joint List, a coalition of three parties. This figure represents an increase of more than 60% from the 2022 elections.

The surge in participation occurred after many Palestinian citizens of Israel had boycotted previous votes, feeling ignored by the political establishment. The result provides a critical arithmetic advantage to the opposition. Gadi Eisenkot, the primary rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could use these seats to form a governing coalition. Eisenkot has not yet confirmed an alliance, but both Ra’am and the Joint List have stated they are open to options that remove Netanyahu from power.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, declared the victory from a wedding hall in Sakhnin on Tuesday night. "We are here and we are not on the margins," Abbas said to cheering supporters. In Sakhnin, voter turnout reached 87%, the highest recorded in Israel. Mayor Mazen Ghnaim described the high participation as an emergency measure to combat rising violent crime and incitement by Netanyahu’s far-right allies. "I want to protect my electors from being killed, my children from being attacked in their universities and the Arab doctors from being assaulted in the hospitals," Ghnaim stated.

In the Bedouin village of Tarabin, located in the Negev, Ra’am received 93% of the vote. Turnout in the community nearly doubled compared to previous elections, where Netanyahu’s party had held majorities. Local organizers conducted door-to-door campaigns in Bedouin villages to encourage women to vote, aiming to overcome long-standing reluctance to participate.

Netanyahu and his allies intensified anti-Arab rhetoric during the campaign. On X, Netanyahu warned against any party forming a government with Arab-led formations, claiming it would lead to the "Islamization of Israel." He also made unverified claims that foreign powers bribed voters to support these parties. Itamar Ben Gvir, the National Security Minister, urged supporters on election day to vote to keep the country Jewish and Zionist. Bezalel Smotrich echoed similar sentiments.

The two winning parties hold different visions for governance. Ra’am focused on integration and placed a former Jewish police official second on its list. The Joint List members, however, described the war in Gaza as a genocide and compared the occupation of the West Bank to apartheid. Sami Abou Shehadeh, a leader within the Joint List, framed the choice for voters as between two bad options. "One proposes a genocide and the other proposes the apartheid," Abou Shehadeh said.

Negotiations for a new government face specific hurdles. Eisenkot has set conditions for an alliance, requiring partners to declare Israel a Jewish and democratic state and to label Hamas a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. Ra’am leader Abbas stated in 2021 that his party recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, but Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen said on Wednesday that his coalition has not yet agreed on final conditions. Jabareen indicated he is ready to hold talks with Eisenkot but emphasized the need for protection, equality, and a restart of the peace process.