Israel’s Arab parties win 19 seats, gaining outsized sway in coalition bargaining
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The Joint List and Ra’am took 19 seats in the election, with Arab turnout at 80%, above the national average, giving these parties a powerful role in the post-election power struggle.
Israel's two Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, together won 19 seats in the October 27 parliamentary election, giving them major influence in coalition negotiations and a chance to tilt the balance in a tightly contested political arena. Their increased representation follows a sharp 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 influence the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding another layer of complexity to the formation of a stable government.