Arab Parties Gain Seats as Netanyahu Bloc Leads in Israeli Election Vote Count

By كل العرب

Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba

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Arabic · 11 newsrooms covering

Initial results from Israeli elections show Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc leading with 54 seats after 70.7% of votes were counted, while Arab parties collectively gained 19 seats. The Joint List rose to 13 seats, and the United Arab List increased its representation to 6 seats. Counting of double envelopes is ongoing and expected to impact final seat distribution. The election saw a 77.7% voter turnout.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc leads with 54 seats after 70.7% of votes counted in Israeli elections.
Arab parties collectively increased their representation to 19 seats in the preliminary results.
The Joint List saw its representation rise to 13 seats as vote counting progressed.
The United Arab List's seat count increased to 6, boosted by strong results in Arab towns.
Voter turnout for the election reached 77.7%, the highest in years.
The final seat distribution remains uncertain pending the count of over half a million double envelopes.

Arab Parties Gain Seats as Netanyahu Bloc Leads in Israeli Election Vote Count — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Initial results from Israel's 26th Knesset elections, with 70.7% of votes counted, show Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc securing 54 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's bloc has 47 seats. Arab parties collectively increased their representation to 19 seats. The Likud party garnered 27 seats, "Yesh" received 20, and the Joint List rose to 13 seats. "Yahad" obtained 11 seats, "Democrats" and "Yisrael Beiteinu" each secured 8 seats, and "United Torah Judaism," "Shas," and "Otzma Yehudit" each won 7 seats. The "Religious Zionism-Zehut" list and the "United Arab List" each received 6 seats. The United Arab List's representation increased from four to six seats, partly due to strong showings in its strongholds like Rahat, Kseifa, and Kafr Qasim, where it received over 74% of the votes in initial counts. The Joint List saw a slight decrease in seats compared to a previous update, losing one to "Yesh" which then lost it to the Joint List. Election officials stated that the counting of double envelopes would commence around midnight and continue until the following evening, with over half a million such envelopes expected. The final seat distribution is not yet clear and will only be determined after all ballots are counted and verified. The election, held on October 27, saw a 77.7% voter turnout, the highest in years. A government requires at least 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset.