Israel’s Arab parties secured a historic number of seats in the recent parliamentary elections, reflecting the largest-ever voter turnout among the country’s Palestinian minority. However, despite this electoral surge, their potential influence in government formation remains uncertain amid deep political divisions.

Preliminary results indicate the Joint List, the largest Arab political alliance led by Yousef Jabareen, won 12 seats, while Mansour Abbas’s Islamist Ra’am party gained seven, collectively surpassing previous records held by Arab parties. This outcome was driven by unprecedented turnout in Arab communities, reportedly exceeding 75-80%, a significant increase from past elections when voter participation had lagged. Many within the Palestinian citizen population, which constitutes approximately 20% of Israel’s overall population, were motivated by concerns over ongoing discrimination and a desire to end what they view as an ultra-nationalist, anti-Arab government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jabareen signaled readiness to assist in unseating Netanyahu but emphasized that any change would require a genuine, equal partnership between Jewish and Arab parties. Ra’am has expressed openness to joining a governing coalition and has even incorporated a Jewish member on its national list to facilitate collaboration. However, the Joint List appears more inclined to support the opposition from outside government.

Despite these overtures, Netanyahu and his allies have strongly opposed any coalition involving Arab parties. Upon the closing of polls, Netanyahu cautioned against partnership with what he termed “anti-Zionist Arab parties,” framing cooperation as a threat to national security. Similarly, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party and Netanyahu’s main rival, faces internal party divisions regarding collaboration with Arab factions. While his Democratic wing urges inclusion of Arab parties to form a majority, others, including former defense officials Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett, oppose participation in a coalition reliant on Arab members.

This resistance reflects broader societal ambivalence. Surveys suggest many Jewish Israelis remain uncomfortable with Arab parties in government roles, especially given security concerns and the ongoing conflict with Palestinian groups in Gaza and the West Bank. Analysts caution that forming a stable coalition will be challenging, as neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor the opposition has clinched the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. Although a minority government or stalemate are possible outcomes, the election results underscore the country’s profound political and social fractures.

Arab leaders and observers express frustration at the prospect that their highest-ever electoral engagement may not translate into political power. They cite intensified discrimination and rising violence within Arab communities during Netanyahu’s tenure, including increased crime and alleged governmental neglect, as motivators for the recent surge. At the same time, critics of Arab party involvement argue that given Israel’s fraught security situation, including ongoing hostilities with Hamas in Gaza, reliance on votes from Arab factions could undermine crucial defense decisions.

Historically, Arab parties have occasionally provided external support to Israeli governments, as seen with Ra’am’s cooperation during the Bennett-Lapid administration in 2021 and the Labour government’s reliance in the early 1990s for implementing the Oslo Accords. However, both political dynamics and voter compositions have evolved, making such cooperation more politically fraught today.

As coalition negotiations proceed, the horse-trading that follows the elections will test the willingness of Israel’s divided political camps to bridge longstanding ideological and ethnic divides, with the future of Arab political participation in government hanging in the balance.