Israel’s Election Stalemate: Arab Parties as Potential Kingmakers

Such a development would mark a profound shift in Israeli politics. To date, only one independent Arab party has formally joined a coalition government—back in 2021—and that partnership was short-lived.

Gadi Eisenkot and every Jewish party in his bloc, with one exception, have already rejected the idea of sitting in government with Arab parties. Yet at present, this remains the opposition’s sole viable route to a parliamentary majority.

Arab parties dominated election night, defying projections and potentially securing a record 19 seats. The surge was driven by record turnout among Israel’s Arab citizens—roughly one-fifth of the population, many of whom identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Historically, many Arab voters boycotted Israeli elections, arguing that participation would legitimize a system they view as treating them as second-class citizens. This time, however, turnout was fueled by a determination to remove what critics call the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.

The United Arab List, projected to win eight seats, has indicated it would join an opposition government, while the Joint List, projected for 11 seats, has said it would support such a government from the outside.

For now, Yair Golan of The Democrats is the only Jewish leader publicly backing this arrangement. Any such coalition would be highly fragile, particularly on sensitive issues like Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The near-uniform opposition among otherwise divided Jewish parties to Arab participation underscores the depth of Israel’s political and social divisions.

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