Arab parties win 19 seats in Israeli Knesset but remain excluded from coalition talks
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Arab parties secured 19 seats in Israel's latest election, yet both major Jewish blocs appear unwilling to include them in a governing coalition, reflecting longstanding structural barriers.
Israel's recent parliamentary election resulted in Arab parties obtaining 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Despite the numerical possibility of forming a majority by partnering with either the right-leaning or centre-left blocs, leaders from both sides have indicated no intention to bring Arab parties into a governing coalition.
Political analysts note that Israel's democratic system combines majoritarian elements with limited power-sharing for its Arab minority. Historian Alan Dowty applies consociational theory to show that while intra-Jewish factions have historically shared power, Arab parties have largely been excluded from elite bargaining. Political scientist Ian Lustick observes that, although Arabs constitute about 20 percent of the population, there is no systematic ethnic negotiation or proportional resource allocation in the Israeli political elite.
Sociologist Sammy Smooha describes Israel as an “ethnic democracy,” where a dominant Jewish character coexists with democratic rights for all citizens, but the public sphere and national policy are shaped primarily by the Jewish majority. The 2018 Basic Law, which enshrines Jewish self-determination, has been criticised by Arab politicians and civil-rights groups for lacking explicit guarantees of civic equality. In July 2021, Israel's Supreme Court upheld the law, stating it does not override individual human-rights protections found in other Basic Laws.
The reluctance to cooperate with Arab parties is also linked to the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many Jewish leaders view Arab citizens as having loyalties tied to the Palestinian territories, while Arab parties advocate for full civic rights and a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. Past experience shows limited cooperation is possible; in 2021, the government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid relied on the United Arab List (Ra’am) for a narrow majority, but that coalition collapsed the following year over ideological disputes.
The election outcome underscores a growing desire among Arab citizens to participate more fully in Israel's political life, even as structural and security considerations continue to keep them outside formal power-sharing arrangements.