Israel's Arab parties emerge from deadlocked election as kingmakers
A record turnout of Arabs, many of whom identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel, tipped the political scales in the election and turned the Arab-majority parties into kingmakers in a deadlocked result.
The Israeli election of 2026 has resulted in a political deadlock, with no single party amassing a majority of seats. The Arab parties, notably the Joint List and Ra'am, have performed remarkably well, securing 19 seats. This significant performance has led to accusations from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, who claim that foreign forces are attempting to overthrow the right-wing rule in Israel.
Netanyahu has named the situation "Ra'amgate" and has urged authorities to investigate allegations of bribery, threats, violence, and multiple voting. He has also provided Likud with hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence to support his claims. However, official authorities, including election officials and the Arab parties, maintain that there is no evidence to back up these allegations.
With neither the Likud bloc nor the opposition bloc reaching the required 61 seats, they could potentially form the next government.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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