Full coverage· Politics· Updated 27 Oct, 23:19

Arab Parties Poised for Historic Gains in Israeli Elections

Exit polls for Israel's 26th Knesset elections project a historic surge for Arab parties, which are expected to win between 17 and 19 mandates. This projected outcome represents a significant increase from the 10 seats they held in the outgoing parliament, where Ra'am and Hadash-Ta'al held five seats each. Broadcaster Yinon Magal of Channel 14 first reported that informed sources pointed to an unprecedented achievement of at least 18 seats, surpassing the previous record of 15 mandates held by the Joint List.

4 newsrooms · 2 languages · since 27 Oct, 20:37

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Arab Parties Poised for Historic Gains in Israeli Elections — Illustration by baba

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What happened

01Exit polls project Arab parties to win a historic 17 to 19 Knesset seats, nearly doubling their previous representation of 10 mandates.
02The projected surge is driven by high voter turnout in Arab and Druze communities, particularly in the Negev region.
03For these elections, Balad rejoined Hadash and Ta'al in the Joint List, while Ra'am ran as an independent list.
04Likud reported 620 voting irregularities in the Arab sector, which Ra'am dismissed as politically motivated attempts to suppress turnout.
05Ra'am accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of exploiting the police to suppress the Arab vote.
06Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly warned his supporters of the high Arab voter turnout throughout election day.
07While unlikely to join a coalition, the Arab parties could influence the next government by providing external support to a 61-seat bloc.

The projected gains are attributed to a notable rise in voter turnout among Arab and Druze citizens, particularly in the Negev region, surpassing the 53.2% turnout recorded in 2022. For this election, Balad rejoined the Joint List alongside Hadash and Ta'al, while Ra'am ran independently. Throughout election day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned his supporters of the high Arab turnout, while Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas stated that his party's goal was to replace the Netanyahu government and keep the right-wing in opposition.

Amid the high turnout, Likud's election integrity headquarters reported 620 irregularities in the Arab sector. Ra'am dismissed these claims as politically motivated attempts to suppress turnout, and accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of exploiting the police for this purpose. While the Arab parties are unlikely to join a governing coalition due to opposition from right-wing parties, they could influence the formation of a majority government by providing external support to a bloc seeking 61 seats.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 00:48

Latest report: Haaretz English. Read Haaretz English’s original