Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out in record numbers in Tuesday's election, handing two Arab-led parties their best-ever result and making them a potential force in deciding who governs.
A record showing
Nearly 840,000 people voted for Ra'am and the Joint List, a 64% increase from 2022, according to final results. Together the parties won 19 Knesset seats, up from the previous record of 15. Turnout in the northern town of Sakhnin was 87%, the highest in Israel, and in the Bedouin village of Tarabin, turnout nearly doubled. "We are here and we're not on the sidelines," Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas told supporters.
Why they voted
Many Palestinian citizens, who make up more than 20% of Israel's population, had boycotted earlier elections. Voters and candidates cited rising violent crime in Arab communities, anti-Arab incitement and what they called the most right-wing government in Israel's history. Sakhnin Mayor Mazen Ghnaim called voting an emergency measure. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged his own supporters to vote to keep the country "Jewish and Zionist," rhetoric that may have galvanized Arab turnout.
Two visions
Both parties campaigned on fighting crime and securing investment for Arab communities. Ra'am stressed the benefits of joining a coalition and put a Jewish former police official second on its list. Joint List members were harsher on Israel's war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.
No guaranteed seat at the table
Eisenkot has set conditions for any partnership, including that parties affirm Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and call Hamas a terrorist organization. Leaders of both parties condemned the Oct. 7 attack but balked at that label. Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen said he was ready to talk, adding: "We have promised our community to do our best to get rid of this fascist government." Netanyahu warned a government with the parties would bring the "Islamization of Israel."
Sources: PBS NewsHour, Associated Press