Arab parties claim kingmaker status in Israel elections

Israel's Arab parties appear to secure a record number of seats in parliament and could emerge as kingmakers after strong turnout in Tuesday's election. Vote tallies show the two main Arab parties on course to win around 19 seats, nearly double their current representation in the Knesset. The two main parties are Yousef Jabareen-led Joint List and Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas.Yousef Jabareen, the leader of the Arab-dominated Joint List, said his party would seek to use its projected 12 seats "to facilitate getting rid of Netanyahu's govt and hopefully helping to change the political situation in Israel".

Jabareen said the Joint List could not join an Eisenkot-led govt because of its support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza and occupation of southern Lebanon. But he left open the possibility of bolstering Eisenkot's bloc from the outside, propping up a minority govt that could survive confidence votes. "We have our demands to protect our community, to advance the rights of our community and to promote equality for our community," said Jabareen, speaking from his home in the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm.The second main Arab party, Ra'am, is led by Mansour Abbas.

He has sought to make Ra'am a more attractive coalition partner, adding a Jewish former police official to its slate and saying he would join an Eisenkot-led govt.Speaking to Israeli television after voting wrapped on Tuesday night, Ra'am chief Mansour Abbas said: "I believe we can overcome the difficulties... and I think that most voters for the (Eisenkot) bloc do want to see (a) govt with the Ra'am party." He said senior members of Eisenkot's bloc had discussed a possible deal with him even before the election.

"Everyone is talking to us, not just the change bloc. A few days ago, a very, very senior member of the right approached me."Eisenkot ruled out forming a govt with any of the Arab parties during the campaign, citing what he called a lack of shared values, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.Netanyahu's Likud party confirmed it would not negotiate with any Arab party to try to form a govt.

"Not a chance," spokesman Guy Levy said at the party's headquarters in Jerusalem. "It's not even a question that should be asked."Who is Mansour Abbas?Mansour Abbas (52) is an Arab-Israeli politician, dentist and leader of Ra'am. Elected to Knesset in 2019, he reshaped Arab politics by advocating a pragmatic, domestic-focused approach. Instead of making engagement conditional on the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he prioritises civil gains for Arab citizens, focusing on crime, socioeconomic inequality, infrastructure and municipal funding.

He also briefly served in an Israeli ruling coalition from 2021 to 2022.What is Joint List?Joint List is an alliance of Arab-majority parties in Israel, formed in 2015 to unite the vote of Arab citizens. It includes Ahmed Tibi's Ta'al and has historically brought together secular, nationalist and left-leaning parties such as Hadash. It campaigns on civil equality, tackling crime in Arab communities and ending the occupation, and has backed govts from outside rather than joining them.How are Arabs placed in IsraelArab citizens of Israel, who often identify as Arab Israelis or Palestine citizens of Israel, comprise 20% of the population, or roughly 2.1 million people.

They are central to the medical sector. Data from Israeli ministry of health and Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel show Arabs account for over 20% of physicians, nearly a quarter of nurses and almost half of licensed pharmacists. Two Arab citizens have served as Supreme Court judges, while Arab engineers, scholars, writers and athletes, have visible public roles.Arab parties' past supportFor decades, Arab parties provided outside support to governments.

Cabinet representation was limited to individual appointments, including Druze lawmaker Salah Tarif in 2001, Labor's Raleb Majadele in 2007, and later Issawi Frej and Ayoob Kara. A significant change came in 2021 when Abbas's Islamist Ra'am joined Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid's ruling coalition.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.