The inconclusive election left both Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition and Gadi Eisenkot's center-right bloc short of the 61 seats needed to govern. Spurred by domestic hardship, settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and military operations in Gaza that have killed over 74,000 Palestinians, Arab voters turned out in record numbers. In response, right-wing leaders such as Itamar Ben Gvir labeled the demographic surge an emergency, arguing the results threaten the nation's Jewish identity. These factions now occupy an unprecedented kingmaker position as contentious coalition talks begin.
Key points
High participation among Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up roughly 20 percent o…: High participation among Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up roughly 20 percent of the population, fundamentally altered the national election outcome.
Arab-led parties successfully blocked the incumbent right-wing government from maintainin…: Arab-led parties successfully blocked the incumbent right-wing government from maintaining its hold on power.
Right-wing leaders strongly condemned the historic turnout, framing the political gains o…: Right-wing leaders strongly condemned the historic turnout, framing the political gains of Arab parties as a direct threat to the state's Jewish character.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
KUFR QASI, Israel — In recent years many Palestinian citizens of Israel shunned elections, believing there was little to gain from participating in the politics of a state which, they say, regularly marginalizes their communities and oppresses their fellow Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
But last month, Palestinian Arabs in Israel came to the ballot boxes in record numbers, helping strip Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's most far-right government in Israel's history of its majority, and giving Arab-led parties the votes they needed to become a powerful force in Israeli politics.
"We blocked the government of Netanyahu from continuing," said Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee, the main umbrella body representing Palestinian citizens of Israel. "It's a historical achievement. I think our community found its strength."
Neither Netanyahu's coalition, nor his main challenger Gadi Eisenkot's center-right opposition, reached the threshold of 61 seats needed to form a government. Arab-led parties won 19 out of 120 seats – enough to give them a critical role in the negotiations that will now determine who governs Israel at this turbulent…
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