Arab parties take 19 Knesset seats, but major Jewish blocs reject them from coalition talks
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Arab parties won 19 seats in Israel's latest election, yet both major Jewish blocs are right to keep them out of a governing coalition, reflecting the unresolved security and national concerns at the heart of Israeli politics.
Israel's recent parliamentary election resulted in Arab parties winning 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Although the numbers could, in theory, help form a majority with either the right-leaning or centre-left blocs, leaders from both sides have signaled that they have no intention of bringing Arab parties into a governing coalition.
Political analysts point out that Israel's democratic system mixes majoritarian institutions with only limited power-sharing for its Arab minority. Historian Alan Dowty applies consociational theory to show that while Jewish factions have long shared power among themselves, Arab parties have largely remained outside elite bargaining. Political scientist Ian Lustick observes that, although Arabs make up about 20 percent of the population, there is no systematic ethnic negotiation or proportional resource allocation within the Israeli political elite.
Sociologist Sammy Smooha describes Israel as an “ethnic democracy,” where a strong Jewish character coexists with democratic rights for all citizens, while the public sphere and national policy are shaped primarily by the Jewish majority. The 2018 Basic Law, which enshrines Jewish self-determination, has been criticized by Arab politicians and civil-rights groups for not containing explicit guarantees of civic equality. In July 2021, Israel's Supreme Court upheld the law, stating that it does not override individual human-rights protections found in other Basic Laws.
The reluctance to cooperate with Arab parties is also connected to the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many Jewish leaders see 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 that 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 realities and security considerations continue to keep them outside formal power-sharing arrangements.