Israel’s Arab parties win 19 seats, opening a rare opening for challenge and leverage in coalition talks
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The Joint List and Ra’am secured a combined 19 seats in the election, with Arab voter turnout surging to 80% — above the national average — underscoring a broad democratic push for representation and political influence.
Israel's two Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, together won 19 seats in the October 27 parliamentary election, giving them substantial leverage in coalition negotiations and a potential path to push back against the hardline forces shaping government policy. Their stronger representation comes after a marked rise in Arab voter participation, which reached 80% compared with the overall turnout of 77%.
Turnout was especially high in several Arab-majority localities. In Sakhnin, voter participation climbed to 83.5% from 68.4% in the previous election; in Kafr Qassem, it rose to 81.3% from 66.8%; and in the Bedouin town of Rahat, turnout increased to 79.8% from 66.6%.
Political analysts note that the parties could use their parliamentary weight to shape the formation of a new governing coalition and potentially affect the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose continued rule now faces greater pressure from a more mobilized Arab electorate.