Arab Parties Hold Key After Inconclusive Vote
Arab-led blocs won 19 seats in last month's election, forcing a new round of coalition talks in Israel.
By Nina Patel ·
The Israeli election ended without a clear winner.
Both major coalitions failed to reach the 61 seats required to govern. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and challenger Gadi Eisenkot’s center-right group are stuck in a deadlock. Arab-led parties now hold the balance of power.
These parties won 19 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. That total gives them a decisive role in the upcoming negotiations. The Central Elections Committee reported a 64 percent increase in votes for these parties compared to the previous cycle. This surge reflects a record turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel. Many had previously avoided the ballot box.
Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee, called the result a historical achievement. He said the community blocked the Netanyahu government from continuing. In Kufr Qasim, residents gathered two days after the vote to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1956 killings of local residents by border police. Speakers told the crowd that the story is not over. The event mourned both past victims and current suffering in Gaza and the West Bank.
Intisar Sarsur, a 65-year-old resident of Kufr Qasim, said her family participated in the election to seek basic rights. She noted that discrimination has risen since the attacks of October 7, 2023. The war in Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians. Rights groups say the current government has supported settlers who are forcing Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank. Sarsur said there is no freedom anymore for her community.
Netanyahu’s allies framed the high Arab turnout as an emergency. Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, urged voters to choose a Jewish and Zionist state. Netanyahu’s Likud party claimed the Arab parties stole the election through bribery and forgery. Police and election officials found no basis for widespread fraud. The head of the elections committee asked the Shin Bet to investigate suspected foreign funding for the turnout. He and the attorney general stated the vote was conducted properly.
The political right fears that Eisenkot will partner with Arab parties to reach a majority. This alliance is politically risky for Eisenkot. His son was killed fighting in Gaza, and he formulated the Dahiyeh doctrine in 2008. That doctrine advocated using disproportionate force against areas from which militants fire. Arab parties are divided on how to proceed. The Joint List, which won 11 of the 19 Arab seats, will not formally join Eisenkot’s government. It may support him from outside. The party cites the ongoing war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank as reasons to stay out.
President Isaac Herzog is consulting with parties to determine who gets the mandate to form a government. He is expected to announce his choice next week. The chosen candidate has 28 days to form a coalition and can request a two-week extension. If that fails, a second candidate gets 28 days without an extension. If no government is formed, Israel will hold new elections next year.
Mansour Shaaban, a 33-year-old resident of Kufr Qasim, voted for the first time in this election. He said it is necessary to stop the racism of the extreme right. He acknowledged that many Israelis live alongside Palestinians, but leaders like Netanyahu and Ben Gvir make coexistence difficult. He said right-wing politicians now know that Palestinian citizens have found their voice.
