For Israel's Arabs, record turnout may bring political clout
By Pesha Magid NAZARETH, Israel, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Israel's Palestinian citizens appear set to secure a record number of seats in parliament and could emerge as kingmakers after strong turnout in Tuesday's election, galvanized by what they describe as the racist policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
The latest Israeli parliamentary election results have produced a highly fragmented outcome, leaving no single party or coalition with enough seats to form a majority government. This political stalemate has generated three plausible scenarios for the path forward.
In the most probable first scenario, the "Change" bloc—a coalition led by former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot—could team up with the Arab parties, which combined hold around 17 seats, to create a governing majority. While this would be a significant breach of campaign pledges, Israeli public opinion may be willing to tolerate it.
An alternative within the "Change" bloc involves forming a minority government, in which Arab parties support key legislative initiatives without joining the administration. However, some key players, such as Avigdor Lieberman, have demurred on this approach.
A second, less likely but still conceivable option is the formation of a unity government. Center-right parties, including Eisenkot's Yashar, Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, and Likud, along with the centrist bloc B Yachad, could unite to govern. This scenario would require Netanyahu to compromise by incorporating some of his political rivals into the coalition, potentially including ultra-Orthodox parties and far-right factions.
Such a move could improve Israel's international standing, but it may also alienate parts of the electorate who still view these groups unfavourably.
The third possibility is that the political deadlock forces another round of elections. This option was ruled out by Eisenkot, who argued that a fresh vote would be counterproductive given the high voter turnout in the recent election (77.7%). However, with no party or coalition likely to secure a majority, and with significant ideological differences remaining, fresh elections might become necessary to restore stability to the political system.
Such an outcome could benefit Netanyahu in the short term, as he would continue as interim prime minister until the next election is held.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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