Israel elections... Arab parties celebrate winning a record number of seats

Supporters of the Joint List - an alliance of Arab parties in Israel - celebrated at their electoral headquarters in the city of Nazareth, in light of expectations that the Arab parties will obtain a record number of seats in Tuesday’s elections. Youssef Jabareen, the party's leader, praised the strong turnout from members of the community, describing it as "unprecedented and historic in our Arab society."

Arab voters make up about 20% of the electorate in Israel, but they have historically had lower voting rates than Jewish Israelis. This surge in voter numbers was driven by a pressing desire to dismantle Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, which includes hard-line ministers such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

This feeling was reinforced by chants: “Ben Gvir, go home” at the Joint List’s electoral headquarters. Jabareen said exit polls showed that Arab-led parties can "make a difference."

He pledged to be "a safety net against crime in our society, a safety net against dangerous racism, and a safety net against the demolition of homes and entire villages." The participation of Arab parties in government may remain complicated.

Together, the Joint List and the United Arab List are expected to obtain between 17 and 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, their strongest performance ever. The Yashar Party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is expected to win between 21 and 23 seats.

However, Eisenkot set conditions for any partner wishing to join his government, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization that must be dismantled. These are conditions that are unlikely to be accepted by most Arab legislators. Moreover, two of his allies in the opposition - Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett - have categorically ruled out forming a government with Arab parties.