For Israel's Arabs, record turnout may bring political clout

Nazareth, Israel — Israel's Palestinian citizens appear poised to secure a record number of parliamentary seats and could potentially emerge as pivotal players after a surge in voter turnout during Tuesday's election, driven by their discontent with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. However, while these measures might have contributed to blocking an outright victory for Netanyahu and his far-right allies, the parties representing Israel's 21% Arab minority have thus far been excluded by the prime minister's main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, who currently lacks the necessary path to power without their support.

Election results indicate that the two principal Arab parties are on track to secure approximately 19 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, a significant increase from their current representation. With this projected outcome, Netanyahu's coalition bloc is on track to win 53 seats, which falls short of the 61 required for a majority, with Eisenkot's coalition anticipated to secure 48 seats.

Yousef Jabareen, the leader of the Arab-dominated Joint List, expressed to Reuters his party's intention to leverage its projected 12 seats to contribute to removing Netanyahu's government and potentially assisting in reshaping the political landscape.