Palestinian parties emerge as kingmakers after strong turnout in Israeli elections
A sharp rise in voter turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel has given Arab political parties a potentially decisive role in determining the country’s next government, following parliamentary elections that left both major political blocs short of a majority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party emerged as the largest party, but its electoral bloc secured only 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The Jewish-led opposition bloc won 48 seats, while Palestinian parties secured a combined 19 seats.
The turnout among eligible Palestinian voters was estimated at 80 per cent, marking a significant increase in participation among a community that makes up around 21 per cent of Israel’s population.
The two main political lists representing Palestinian citizens, the United Arab List (Ra’am) and the Joint List, could therefore influence which political camp forms the next government.
Analysts attributed the increased participation to anger over Israel’s war on Gaza, concerns about racism and dissatisfaction with the policies of Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
However, several leading opposition politicians have ruled out forming a government with Palestinian parties, despite their combined parliamentary strength.
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid rejected the possibility of joining a coalition with the Arab parties. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman also ruled out such an alliance, saying he would sit alongside neither Netanyahu nor Palestinian political leader Ahmad Tibi.
Netanyahu questions surge in Arab turnout
Netanyahu’s Likud party has questioned the sharp rise in Palestinian voter participation and called on Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, to investigate possible foreign interference.
The move has drawn criticism from those who say it undermines the legitimacy of Palestinian citizens exercising their democratic right to vote.
Despite criticising Netanyahu’s government over corruption, governance and its international standing, much of the Jewish-led opposition has remained reluctant to accept support from Palestinian political parties.
The left-wing Democrats have shown greater willingness to cooperate with them, while other opposition figures have avoided committing to an alliance.
Palestinian leaders demand recognition of election result
Orly Noy, who stood for the Palestinian-dominated Balad party, said the increased turnout reflected growing concerns among Palestinian citizens about their rights, security and the government’s policies.
She said Palestinians had increasingly felt that their voting rights were among the few remaining tools available to them to influence political decisions.
Political analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg said the reluctance to work with Arab parties reflected deeper disagreements over Israel’s identity, citizenship and political system.
Mauricio Lapchik, Hebrew campaign director for the Joint List, also criticised the opposition’s reluctance to recognise the Arab parties’ electoral strength.
He argued that the combined 67 seats held by the opposition and Palestinian parties represented a parliamentary majority against Netanyahu, but that Palestinian votes were not being treated equally.