Arab blocs on track for record Knesset seats as turnout hits 80 percent
Exit polls show Palestinian citizens of Israel casting ballots at historic rates, complicating coalition talks for both major political camps.
By Ryan Davidson ·
Arab parties are projected to secure a record number of seats in the Israeli parliament following Tuesday's election.
Exit polling data indicates that the Joint List and Ra'am will hold 18 seats in the 120-member Knesset. This figure represents the highest count for these groups in decades. The surge in support comes as voting rates among Palestinian citizens of Israel climbed to their highest level since 1999.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that turnout among this demographic reached approximately 80 percent. The Central Elections Committee confirmed that overall voter participation hit 77.7 percent, also a mark not seen since 1999. Palestinian citizens of Israel constitute about 21 percent of the nation's 10 million residents. They have historically voted at lower rates than their Jewish counterparts.
Mansour Abbas, the leader of Ra'am, stated that the current numbers suggest the anti-Netanyahu bloc may fall short of the 61 seats needed to form a government. His party currently holds five seats and previously joined a coalition that governed Israel from 2021 to 2022. Abbas noted that both major political blocs contacted his party before and after the vote. He told Channel 12, “With the numbers we have now, there is no government.”
Exit polls showed a tight race at the top. The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party and the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party were tied at 51 seats each. Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador, warned that forming a stable government could be difficult for Eisenkot's camp. Eisenkot’s party promised during the campaign not to form coalitions with Arab parties. Pinkas argued that “Arabs can’t be kept outside and only being considered and co-opted when you need their votes.” He added that Arab-led lists will likely make demands that a Jewish-led coalition might reject.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition made final efforts on Tuesday to mobilize supporters. They warned of high voter turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel, a tactic Arab politicians criticized as inflammatory. Witnesses in Jerusalem described cars flying Likud flags driving through the city while blaring the Islamic call to prayer. The vehicles urged supporters to vote because “Arabs are voting.”
Netanyahu used social media to emphasize long lines at polling stations in Arab communities. He shared an image showing Arab voters, including women wearing the niqab, waiting to cast ballots. In a post, he warned, “If we don’t wake up now, we’ll find ourselves with a government of Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi.” The comment referenced two prominent Palestinian members of the Knesset.
Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, described the election as an “existential moment for Palestinian-Israelis.” She noted that the record turnout included voters who typically boycott elections. Many of these individuals previously believed their votes would not change their reality or alter systemic discrimination. Odeh stated that the Knesset has passed more than 100 laws discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel. She added that these citizens also face discrimination in receiving state funds.
