Arab Parties Hold Decisive Clout Ahead of Knesset Elections
Arab political parties in Israel could play a decisive role in forming a governing coalition without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the upcoming Knesset elections, nos.nl reported. However, any such cooperation remains politically sensitive within the Jewish majority following the October 7, 2023, terror attacks by Hamas.
The United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, is actively campaigning to secure a deciding role in the 120-seat parliament. On a parking lot in the southern Bedouin city of Lakiya, Abbas addressed roughly thirty supporters on plastic chairs, urging them to use their vote to unseat what he termed a racist government.
Governing majority requires 61 Knesset seats
Securing a governing majority in the Knesset requires a minimum of 61 seats.
The current government consists of Likud alongside six right-wing and extreme-right parties holding a combined 67 seats, according to De Wereld Morgen. Meanwhile, alternative opposition figures such as former staff chief of the army Gadi Eisenkot have formed new political platforms like Yashar, though analysts note his policy positions largely mirror Netanyahu’s on core socio-economic and Palestinian issues, De Wereld Morgen reported.
While other Arab factions, such as the Joint List, rule out direct participation in a government, they have not dismissed the possibility of supporting an administration from the outside by voting on specific legislation, nos.nl reported. In 2021, Abbas brought his party into the coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
Voter Turnout Among Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Nevertheless, Rudnitzky emphasized that if the United Arab List secures seven or eight seats, mainstream Jewish parties will find it difficult to ignore them as potential partners.
The central challenge for Abbas is boosting turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel, which historically hovers around 50 percent compared to a national average of 70 percent, nos.nl stated. Local residents attending the Lakiya rally expressed renewed motivation, arguing that discriminatory policies and the presence of far-right ministers in the current administration have galvanized their communities to participate at the ballot box.
Polls project seat losses for Likud
Verenigd Torah-Jodendom unites two streams within Ashkenazi Haredi society, with Agudat Yisrael representing the Hasidic communities and Degel HaTorah representing the Lithuanian, non-Hasidic tradition. Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach founded Degel HaTorah in 1988 following disagreements over representation within Agudat Yisrael. A Kan News poll from October 11 projected seven seats for Shas and eight for United Torah-Judaism, which is three fewer than they won in 2022.
Polls predict that Likud will lose seats within the governing coalition to the extremist party Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben Gvir.
Hope for a ‘moderate’ government?
Media commentators in outlets including The Guardian, BBC, and The New York Times suggest that a new Israeli government led by Eisenkot or Bennett would pursue a more moderate course.
When are the Israeli Knesset elections?
When are the Israeli Knesset elections scheduled to take place?
Eligible voters will head to the polls to elect 120 members of the Knesset on Tuesday, October 27, according to De Wereld Morgen.
What role did Mansour Abbas play in previous governments?
Mansour Abbas led the United Arab List into a governing coalition in 2021 alongside Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, nos.nl reported.
How many seats do right-wing and religious parties hold in the current government?
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government has governed with a majority of 67 seats, which included major blocs like Likud alongside religious factions such as Shas and United Torah-Judaism, according to Israel Today Nederland and De Wereld Morgen.