Arab Voters Hold New Leverage in Israel’s Election Deadlock

Israel’s election has left the country without a clear governing majority. Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious coalition fell from 64 seats in the 120-member Knesset to 53, while parties opposing him won 67—more than the 61 needed to govern if they can work together.

Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List won 19 seats, up from 10 after the previous election. Arab citizens turned out in record numbers, giving their representatives an unusually strong potential role in deciding who governs.

Crime in Arab communities was a major concern for voters. The number of homicides in 2025 was more than twice the 2022 figure, while police cleared 12 percent of cases in Arab communities during the first half of this year. Netanyahu’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, oversaw the police. The government also withheld hundreds of millions of shekels that had been pledged to Arab towns.

The opposition’s four Jewish-led parties, known as the change bloc, now face a choice: whether to work with Arab parties, or rely on them from outside a coalition in exchange for policy commitments. Most Jewish parties have treated a government dependent on Arab support as taboo, and some opposition leaders vowed not to govern with Arab parties. Polling suggests many change-bloc voters would accept such an arrangement with Ra’am, though leaders have been cautious amid opposition among Jewish Israelis.

Whether Arab voters gain influence will depend on the negotiations over the coming months. Even a Jewish-Arab coalition would not, by itself, end the occupation or reverse Israel’s course in Gaza.

Israel’s Opposition Must Take Arab Voters Seriously

Israel’s election has handed Arab voters unprecedented leverage, but the opposition may still choose to shut them out. Netanyahu’s coalition fell to 53 seats, while parties against him won 67. Arab parties took 19 of those seats, nearly twice their total after the previous election.

That result followed record turnout among Arab citizens, many of whom were driven to vote by soaring violence in their communities. Homicides more than doubled from 2022 to 2025, while police solved just 12 percent of cases in the first half of this year. The government also froze hundreds of millions of shekels intended for Arab towns.

Yet the four Jewish-led parties calling themselves the change bloc have to decide whether they will treat Arab representatives as potential partners. Some pledged not to govern with them, even though polling indicates many change-bloc voters would accept a government supported by Ra’am. That caution risks turning Arab citizens’ votes into an empty symbol rather than a meaningful voice in policy.

A coalition involving Arab parties would not end the occupation or change Israel’s course in Gaza. But the negotiations will show whether Arab voters can influence the government that governs them—or whether the old political taboo will marginalize them again.

Israel’s Election Leaves a Fragile Path to Power

Israel’s election produced a clear setback for Netanyahu but no straightforward replacement. His conservative, religious alliance shrank from 64 seats to 53, while opponents won 67 in the 120-seat Knesset. That is enough to form a government only if the opposition can hold together.

Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List won 19 seats after record turnout among Arab citizens. Their votes could prove decisive, but Jewish political parties have traditionally regarded a government reliant on Arab backing as unacceptable. Several opposition leaders promised not to govern with them, and most Jewish Israelis remain opposed to a coalition joining Arab and Jewish parties.

The election leaves the change bloc with a difficult choice: pursue an arrangement with Arab parties or face the challenge of forming a government without them. Polling suggests many of its voters would accept support from Ra’am, including from outside a coalition, but leaders must weigh that against the wider opposition among Jewish voters. Netanyahu also spent the campaign portraying Arab-party politicians as supporters of terrorism.

Record turnout and 19 seats have given Arab parties greater leverage than before, but the election has not settled who will govern. Any agreement will have to bridge a divide that the campaign made plain, and even a Jewish-Arab coalition would not end the occupation or reverse Israel’s course in Gaza.