Palestinian voters reshape Israel's political map

Palestinian citizens of Israel cast ballots in record numbers on Tuesday, securing a historic win for two Arab-led parties in the Israeli parliament. The turnout broke with years of boycotts and gave these groups the largest bloc of seats they have ever held in the Knesset.

According to the Central Election Committee, nearly 840,000 people voted for Ra’am and the Joint List. That figure represents a 64% increase from the 2022 elections. The two parties combined to win 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset, surpassing their previous record of 15.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, declared the victory from a wedding hall in Sakhnin. He told cheering supporters, “We are here and we are not on the margins.” The result transforms these parties into a pivotal political force that could help opposition leaders build a coalition to remove Benjamin Netanyahu from power.

The surge in voting occurred in communities across Israel, from the Negev desert to the northern Galilee. In Tarabin, a Bedouin village where Netanyahu’s party had won majorities in the last two cycles, turnout nearly doubled. Ra’am captured 93% of the votes there.

Mazen Ghnaim, the mayor of Sakhnin, attributed the 87% turnout rate to a desire for emergency measures. He cited rising violent crime and incitement by Netanyahu’s far-right allies. Ghnaim, a Ra’am supporter, said, “I want to protect my voters from being killed, my children from being attacked at their universities and Arab doctors from being assaulted in hospitals.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu intensified his rhetoric against the Arab-led parties. On X, he warned against any party forming a government with them, claiming it would lead to the “Islamization of Israel.” He also suggested without proof that foreign powers bribed voters to support these formations.

Voters described their participation as an act of desperation rather than confidence in the democratic system. Awni Zoabi, 52, said he voted in Nazareth because he wanted a future for his children. He noted that the government was deteriorating under the leadership of figures like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Ben Gvir, the National Security Minister, warned supporters on election day that they must vote to keep the country Jewish and Zionist. Smotrich and Netanyahu echoed this sentiment, a strategy that may have mobilized Arab voters by highlighting the stakes.

The two winning parties offer different visions for governance. Ra’am campaigned on integration and placed a former Jewish police official second on its list. The Joint List, however, labeled the campaign in Gaza a genocide and compared the occupation of the West Bank to apartheid. Sami Abou Shehadeh, a leader of the Joint List, stated, “These are the options: bad or worse.”

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main rival, has not yet agreed to ally with the Arab-led parties. He has set conditions, requiring them to declare Israel a Jewish and democratic state and to label Hamas a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List, said he was ready to talk but that his parties had not yet agreed on their own demands. He affirmed his commitment to removing what he called a “fascist government.”