Arab-led parties hold 19 Knesset seats after record turnout in Israel

Arab-led parties won 19 out of 120 seats in the recent Israeli legislative election, a result that leaves neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor challenger Gadi Eisenkot with the 61 seats required to form a government. This bloc now holds the balance of power in a fractured Knesset. The turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel was the highest on record, reversing a trend of low participation that had persisted for years.

Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee, stated that the community blocked the continuation of Netanyahu’s government. He described the outcome as a historical achievement, noting that the community found its strength. The High Follow-Up Committee is the main umbrella body representing Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The Central Elections Committee reported a 64% increase in votes for Arab-led parties compared to the previous election. Neither the far-right coalition led by Netanyahu nor the center-right opposition led by Eisenkot reached the majority threshold. This outcome forces a complex negotiation process to determine the next government.

Netanyahu and his allies reacted to the high Arab turnout by framing it as an emergency. On election day, Netanyahu posted a video describing the situation in those terms. Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, filmed an appeal at the entrance to Kufr Qasim urging voters to ensure the country remains Jewish and Zionist. Likud later claimed Arab parties stole the election through bribery and forgery, though police and election officials found no widespread fraud.

The Likud party warned of a foreign takeover and the Islamization of Israel without publishing evidence to support these claims. The head of the elections committee requested that the Shin Bet security service investigate suspected foreign funding of efforts to boost Arab turnout. Both the elections committee head and the attorney general stated that the vote was conducted properly and the results were not compromised.

In the Palestinian-majority town of Kufr Qasim, residents gathered two days after the election to commemorate the 1956 killings of local residents by Israeli border police. Speakers and attendees connected the past violence to current conditions, including the rise in discrimination since the October 7, 2023 attacks and the ongoing war in Gaza. Intisar Sarsur, 65, said there is no freedom anymore and that the community seeks basic rights.

Sarsur noted that every person she knew participated in the election. She and her family shared mutabbaq, a sweet layered pastry, and fresh olive oil from the current harvest. She described the moment as bittersweet due to the attacks on West Bank olive harvests by settlers.

Eisenkot faces a difficult path to form a coalition. A former military chief of staff whose son was killed in Gaza, he is viewed as a hawk. Arab parties are divided on how to proceed. Ra’am, a socially conservative Islamist party, campaigned on joining a governing coalition. The Joint List alliance, which won 11 of the 19 seats, said it will not formally partner with Eisenkot but may back his government from the outside.

President Isaac Herzog is consulting with parties to determine who receives a mandate to form a government. He is expected to announce this decision next week. The appointed candidate will have 28 days to form a coalition, with the option of a two-week extension. If that fails, a second candidate gets 28 days without an extension. If both attempts fail, repeat elections will occur next year.

Mansour Shaaban, 33, voted for the first time in this election. He said it was necessary to stop the racism and oppression he attributes to Israel’s extreme right. Shaaban stated that while many Israelis live alongside Palestinians, leaders like Netanyahu and Ben Gvir are making co-existence impossible. He believes right-wing politicians now know that Palestinian citizens have found their voice.