Arab-led parties could decide the Israeli election, if anyone would partner with them
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rivals have said they won't form a coalition with any Arab-led party after the Oct. 27 election – even if that means months of gridlock and another round of voting.
BAQA AL-GHARBIYYE, Israel (AP) — Mansour Abbas, leader of a small Arab political party, has been a loyal partner to Israel for years. He condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and focused on local issues like crime, breaking a taboo by bringing an Arab party into an Israeli government in 2021. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rivals have refused to form a coalition with his or any other Arab-led party after the Oct.
27 election. The stakes are existential, as Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, said they must use their political power to block the deterioration of the situation. Palestinians, who make up about 20% of the population, face discrimination and soaring crime rates, with the homicide rate among Palestinian citizens being more than 22 times higher than among Jewish Israelis.
Despite their influence, Arab-led parties have not been able to sway Netanyahu and his main opponents, who are unwilling to work with them.
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