Full coverage· Politics· Updated 27 Oct, 23:01

Arab Voter Turnout Surges in Israeli Election, Parties Projected to Gain Seats

Israel's 26th Knesset elections on Tuesday saw a historic surge in Arab voter turnout, with exit polls projecting that Arab parties could win between 16 and 18 seats. This represents a massive increase from their previous 10 seats, driven by an unprecedented turnout of up to 80% in the Arab sector. Nationwide voter turnout reached 74.3% by 8 p.m., with participation in some Arab towns, such as Umm al-Fahm, nearly doubling compared to the 2022 election.

3 newsrooms · 2 languages · since 27 Oct, 20:48

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What happened

01Arab voter turnout reached historic highs of up to 80% in the Arab sector during Tuesday's Knesset elections.
02Exit polls project the Joint List and Ra'am to win 16 to 18 seats, nearly doubling their previous representation of 10.
03Overall nationwide voter turnout reached 74.3% by 8 p.m., with turnout in Umm al-Fahm rising from 38.3% in 2022 to 70.1%.
04Exit polls show conflicting results, with some favoring the anti-Netanyahu bloc and others projecting a lead for Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc.
05The Likud party is projected to be the largest single party in the Knesset across all exit polls.
06Ra'am included a Jewish candidate, Yoav Segalovitz, on its electoral list for the first time in these elections.
07Joint List Chairman Yousef Jabareen celebrated the results, advocating for equality and a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

Despite the clear surge for Arab parties, exit polls offered conflicting results regarding the overall election winner. Traditional channels projected a slight advantage for the anti-Netanyahu bloc, giving them 52 to 53 seats compared to 50 to 51 seats for Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc, which would give Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form a coalition. Conversely, Channel 14 and i24NEWS exit polls favored Netanyahu's bloc, though Likud remains the largest single party across all polls.

The Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad, and Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, are the primary beneficiaries of the surge. For the first time, Ra'am included a Jewish candidate, Yoav Segalovitz, on its list. Yousef Jabareen, Chairman of the Joint List, celebrated the historic success and vowed to continue advocating for equality, social justice, and a peace based on the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 03:27

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