Arab-led bloc claims record seats in Israel's Knesset

Palestinian citizens of Israel delivered a decisive political statement on Tuesday as their representation in the Knesset reached an all-time high.

Nearly 840,000 voters cast ballots for the Ra'am party and the Joint List, a coalition of three Arab-led groups. This figure represents a 64% increase from the 2022 elections, according to final data from the Central Election Committee. The bloc won 19 seats in the 120-member parliament, surpassing the previous record of 15 seats held by similar parties.

Voter turnout surged in Arab communities across the country, with Sakhnin in the north recording the highest rate at 87%. In Tarabin, a Bedouin village in the Negev Desert where the ruling party had won majorities in the past two cycles, Ra'am captured 93% of the vote. Mayor Mazen Ghnaim of Sakhnin described the high participation as an emergency measure to address rising violent crime and political incitement. He stated, "I want to protect my constituents from being killed, my children from being attacked at their universities and Arab doctors getting attacked at hospitals."

The electoral surge complicates the political landscape for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot. The Arab-led bloc now holds enough seats to potentially help opposition parties form a coalition to remove Netanyahu from power. However, Eisenkot has set specific conditions for any partnership, requiring the parties to declare Israel a Jewish and democratic state and to label Hamas a terrorist organization. While Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas acknowledged the Jewish state in 2021, some Joint List leaders have questioned the compatibility of a state that privileges one religion with full democracy.

The campaign was driven by frustration with the current government, which voters described as the most right-wing in Israeli history. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both far-right allies of Netanyahu, used intense rhetoric during the election period. Ben Gvir told supporters on Election Day, "If you want this country to remain Jewish and Zionist … then get out and vote!" Netanyahu also intensified his messaging, posting on X on Thursday that forming a government with Arab parties would lead to the "Islamization of Israel."

Despite the strong showing, the path to government remains uncertain. Tamar Hermann, a senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, noted that Israel is moving toward an ethnic democracy where one ethnicity holds advantages. She argued that it will be difficult for Eisenkot to maintain support if he partners with Arab-led parties now. The Ra'am and Joint List have expressed openness to removing Netanyahu, including by abstaining from leadership votes to lower the threshold for a majority. Yousef Jabareen, the Joint List's leader, said on Wednesday that his coalition was ready for talks but had not yet agreed on final conditions. He added, "We have promised our community to do our best to get rid of this fascist government."