High Palestinian Turnout Could Swing 12-15 Seats Against Netanyahu in 120-Seat Israeli Election
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 23
High Palestinian Turnout Could Swing 12-15 Seats Against Netanyahu in 120-Seat Israeli Election
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 23
Summary
Polls show Netanyahu’s coalition likely losing its Knesset majority next week, but the Jewish Israeli opposition also appears short of the 61 seats needed to govern.
Palestinian citizens — about 20% of Israel’s population — are forecast to win 12 to 15 seats, making turnout in Arab communities a potential kingmaker in efforts to block Netanyahu’s far-right return.
Fear is driving that mobilization: Palestinian politicians and analysts say another four years of far-right rule could deepen racism, annexation and ethnic cleansing, especially after the devastation in Gaza and violence in the West Bank.
Any anti-Netanyahu path still runs into political resistance, with most Jewish opposition parties publicly rejecting Arab coalition partners even though Ra’am joined a governing coalition in 2021 and Netanyahu once negotiated with its leader.
Some voters still reject participation in a system they see as stacked against Palestinians, after court and campaign battles that critics say applied harsher standards to Arab politicians than to figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir.