Arab Media Tracks Arab Vote Influence and Netanyahu’s Chances in Israel’s Election
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Outlets in Egypt, Qatar, Iran, Lebanon and the West Bank are examining how Arab parties may affect Israel’s parliamentary contest and what the result could mean for Netanyahu’s government.
Media across the Arab world are closely watching Israel’s parliamentary election, assessing both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future and the role of Arab-led parties such as the Joint List and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am. Analysts note that without a clear majority for either major bloc, the performance of Arab parties could prove decisive in forming the next government.
Egyptian channel Alghad TV highlighted comments from Hadash politician Shadi Shweiri, who described the election as a rare chance for Arab citizens of Israel to advance national demands. Shweiri warned that Arab voters face “a choice between the bad and the worse” and stressed that voting rights were granted under international pressure rather than goodwill. He accused the current government of racism and crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
"Our situation is that we are being asked to choose between the bad and the worse, rather than between the good and the better," Shweiri said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei downplayed the election’s relevance to Tehran, stating that the outcome “makes no difference to us” and criticizing the electoral process in the occupied territories.
"I do not agree with elections in the occupied territories at all; there is competition between different gangs to commit more evil," Baghaei said.
Qatar-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed warned of a possible political stalemate that could leave Netanyahu heading a caretaker government. Palestinian journalist Beirut Hammoud framed the vote as occurring after three years of what she called “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing,” noting a decline in international support for Israel and arguing that opposition leaders differ from Netanyahu mainly in their methods of managing the conflict.
Lebanese pro-Hezbollah outlet Al-Khanadeq alleged that Netanyahu’s camp has portrayed the Arab vote as a liability, citing AI-generated campaign material that links Arab politicians with Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas. The analysis also referenced efforts by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Arab-majority parties and the deployment of activists to discourage Arab voters.
A Palestinian news site based in east Jerusalem linked the timing of the Israeli election to the U.S. midterms, suggesting that outcomes in both contests could reshape regional dynamics. The article, authored by Dr. Ahmed Youseff, expressed hopes that a defeat for Netanyahu could prompt a reassessment of Israel’s war policies and greater accountability, while cautioning that expectations should not be confused with guaranteed results.