Arab-majority parties could win record number of seats published at 22:08 GMT22:08 GMTPaul AdamsDiplomatic Correspondent Reports suggest that high turnout among Israeli Arab voters has translated into electoral success, with the two Arab-majority parties (The United Arab List – or Ra’am – and The Joint List, an alliance of three smaller parties) expected to win up to 19 seats between them (which would be a record). They have traditionally been extremely reluctant to include Arab parties in their coalitions, but with the gap between the two main electoral blocs expected to be narrow, it will be difficult for Eisenkot and Netanyahu to ignore the Arab-majority parties. In past Israeli elections, Arab turnout has generally been lower than Jewish turnout. But this time, the desire to see Netanyahu’s back seems to have driven large numbers of Arabs to the polls. Netanyahu, clearly aware of this danger, spent much of Election Day warning of an effort by Arab voters to “steal the election.” Until now, Eisenkot has said that Arab parties do not meet his conditions for joining a coalition. The mathematics of the new Knesset may force it to reconsider, either relying on its informal support in the event of a minority government or bringing in Ra’am as a formal coalition partner. After the 2021 election, Ra’am was part of a coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. It lasted a year before collapsing.
