Democrats Leader Declares Netanyahu Defeated, Relies on Arab Parties

Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, reiterated his claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost the election, basing his assertion on projections that included support from Arab parties like the Joint List and Ra'am to form a Knesset majority. Golan initially declared a 65-seat majority for the "change bloc" by integrating Arab parties and excluding the ultra-Orthodox parties from the "Zionist camp."

However, updated results showed the current coalition strengthening to 56 seats, while the "change bloc" weakened to 48 seats. Golan's own party also lost a seat, now standing at eight. The Likud party, conversely, gained seats, reaching 28. According to the latest figures, the "change bloc" combined with Arab parties yields 64 seats, falling short of Golan's initial 65-seat claim.

Golan defended the inclusion of Arab parties, stating that the vote of an Israeli citizen in an Arab town holds the same weight as one in a Jewish town, accusing Netanyahu of "racism." He also called for the exclusion of ultra-Orthodox parties like Shas and United Torah Judaism from the "Zionist" count, claiming the "change bloc" has a "Zionist majority" of 49 seats to Netanyahu's 39.

This calculation also appears outdated, as United Torah Judaism has dropped to eight seats and Shas to seven, totaling 15 seats for the two ultra-Orthodox parties. By Golan's own counting method, the ratio now stands at 48 to 41. Despite the shifting numbers, Golan urged the formation of a government in partnership with Arab citizens of Israel, citing a majority and an "opportunity."

Vote counting is ongoing, with approximately 39.8% of ballots yet to be tallied. These remaining votes could potentially alter the seat distribution and the final bloc configurations.