Arab parties win 19 seats after record turnout

No candidate in Israel's latest election secured the 61 seats required to form a government. Arab-led parties won 19 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, giving them a decisive role in the upcoming coalition negotiations.

Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers last month. The Central Elections Committee reported a 64 percent increase in votes for these parties compared to the previous election. This surge helped strip Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition of its majority.

Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee, described the result as a historical achievement. He stated that the community found its strength by blocking the continuation of Netanyahu's government.

Gadi Eisenkot, the center-right opposition leader, also failed to reach the threshold. President Isaac Herzog is currently consulting with parties to determine who will receive a mandate to form a government. He is expected to make that announcement next week. The chosen candidate will have 28 days to build a coalition, with an option for a two-week extension.

If the first candidate fails, the next candidate has only 28 days without an extension. If no coalition is formed, Israel will hold repeat elections next year.

Netanyahu and his allies reacted strongly to the high Arab turnout. Netanyahu called the result an emergency in a video posted on election day. Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, urged voters to ensure the country remains Jewish and Zionist. The Likud party claimed Arab parties stole the election through bribery and forgery, though police and election officials found no basis for widespread fraud.

The rise in anti-Arab sentiment has made an alliance with Jewish right-wing parties difficult. Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, is not a natural partner for Arab parties. His son was killed fighting in Gaza, and he is known for a hawkish stance, including the 2008 formulation of the Dahiyeh doctrine.

Arab parties are divided on how to proceed. The Joint List alliance won 11 of the 19 seats. Its leaders said they would not formally join Eisenkot's government, citing the ongoing war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank. They may instead support his government from the outside. Ra'am, a socially conservative Islamist party, campaigned on joining a governing coalition.

In Kufr Qasim, residents gathered two days after the election to commemorate the 1956 killings by border police. Speakers noted that the story is not over. Intisar Sarsur, 65, said the community is seeking basic rights and that almost everyone she knows participated in the vote. Mansour Shaaban, 33, said he voted for the first time to stop what he called the racism and oppression of the extreme right.