Arab Parties Drew Record Turnout as Voters Sought Action on Violent Crime
Voters say they want safety issues in Arab towns addressed.
Reuters World News · Israel rival claims, Bolsonaro flees and Mbappe's apologyThe Arab parties changed the dynamic in Israel's latest election, drawing record turnout in a country that has held six elections since 2019.
Arab citizens of Israel are Israelis, most of them Palestinian by heritage. In earlier elections, fewer Arab citizens cast ballots, with many viewing politics as something apart from them and ballots as unlikely to alter their lives.
A concern now is safety in their own towns. Violent crime in Arab towns rose significantly under the current government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the Likud party, and voters say they want those safety issues addressed.
That turnout gives the Arab parties a say in a result that points to deadlock. Netanyahu's alliance with religious and hard-right parties appears to have won more votes without winning control of parliament, giving a chance to rival groups headed by ex-general Gadi Eisenkot, and neither side has sufficient seats to govern on its own.
What comes next is coalition bargaining. President Isaac Herzog, whose post is mostly formal, will meet with each party leader elected to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and ask them to nominate a candidate for prime minister, who must then negotiate support from other parties. Eisenkot and Netanyahu could join together in a joint administration, but if no camp succeeds in building a governing alliance, voters would likely return to ballots.
Questions people ask
What is the Knesset and why does 61 seats matter?
The Knesset is Israel's parliament, with 120 seats. A government needs the support of at least 61 lawmakers, so parties must bargain after the election to build a majority coalition. The president asks party leaders whom they back for prime minister, and the leading candidate then tries to assemble that majority.
Who are Netanyahu and Eisenkot in this election?
Netanyahu leads Likud, a right wing party, and in this election allied with religious and far-right parties. Eisenkot, a former general, leads the opposition bloc that campaigned on change. Both have said they will not work with the two leading Arab parties, which complicates the math.
What kind of violent crime is affecting Arab towns?
Arab towns have in recent years reported rising shootings, homicides, and extortion tied to organized crime and illegal weapons. Residents have complained about too few police resources and too few cases solved. That public safety gap has become a leading concern in local news and protests.