Brief
Arab parties could become kingmakers in Israel’s Oct 27 election, despite coalition bans
Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am and the Joint List face exclusion from coalition talks, yet their parliamentary seats could tip the balance in a tight race.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Israel’s upcoming parliamentary election on Oct 27, 2026 could hinge on the performance of Arab parties, Gulf News reported on Oct 16. Mansur Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, has long aligned with government demands, condemning the Oct 7 Hamas attack and focusing on local issues such as crime, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rivals have ruled out any coalition with Arab‑led lists.
What happened
Abbas’s Ra’am entered the government in 2021, breaking a long‑standing taboo by joining a coalition. In the current race, Ra’am’s second‑ranked candidate is a mainstream Jewish politician, a move intended to broaden appeal. Despite this, Netanyahu and other contenders have publicly stated they will not form a government with any Arab party, even if that forces a prolonged stalemate and a second round of voting.
What the report adds
Gulf News notes that Arab citizens, who constitute about 20 % of Israel’s population, face high homicide rates—more than 22 times those of Jewish Israelis—while arrest and indictment rates remain low. The Abraham Initiatives, an Israeli equality group, recorded 184 crime‑related killings in Arab communities in 2026, with only 12 % of cases from the first half of the year solved. Rights group Adalah says police have repeatedly broken up anti‑war protests, restricted Palestinian flags, and arrested hundreds over social‑media posts.
What was said
Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List, told Gulf News that the Arab parties’ “existential” stakes require them to use their political power to block further deterioration of the situation. He made the comment at a small campaign event in Tel Aviv before slipping away to avoid far‑right protesters.
How it came about
The current dynamics follow a series of legal battles over Arab party participation. In September, Israel’s election committee barred the Joint List and Ra’am, prompting a Supreme Court review. On Oct 2, the Court unanimously overturned the ban and reinstated the parties, as documented in Felo News’s earlier coverage (Israel Supreme Court lifts ban on Arab parties and reinstates Hadash MK). The election campaign has been framed around the Oct 7 Hamas attack, with both Netanyahu and challenger Gadi Eisenkot invoking the event in their messaging (Netanyahu and rivals make Oct 7 the centerpiece of Israel's election campaign).
Key facts
- Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List could hold decisive votes in Israel’s Oct 27 election (gulfnews.com)
- Homicide rates among Palestinian citizens are over 22 times higher than among Jewish Israelis (gulfnews.com)
- Only 12 % of crime‑related killings in Arab communities reported in the first half of 2026 have been solved (gulfnews.com)
- Netanyahu and other leading candidates have ruled out coalition talks with any Arab‑led party (gulfnews.com)
Sources
- [1] gulfnews.com — originally reported as “Israel’s Arab Parties Poised to Shape Political Future Amid Election Gridlock”
