Israel's Arab parties could decide election but face coalition rejection

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 06:32 · Archive

Arab-led parties in Israel could win decisive seats in the 27 October election, but both Netanyahu and his rivals have ruled out coalition partnerships with them.

Arab-led parties in Israel could win enough seats in the 27 October election to determine who becomes prime minister. Yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rivals have said they will not form a coalition with any Arab-led party, even if it means months of gridlock and another round of voting.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra'am party, has previously brought an Arab party into an Israeli government, serving as a loyal partner. He condemned the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and rarely speaks about the war in Gaza or Israel's occupation of the West Bank, instead focusing on local issues like crime. For the coming election, he has placed a mainstream Jewish candidate as the second-ranked member of his party list.

The stance by Netanyahu and his rivals reflects the marginalised position of Israel's Arab minority three years after 7 October. Their speech is heavily policed, their leaders have been branded as traitors, and their parties were briefly outlawed before a court lifted the ban. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, described the stakes in the election as 'existential'.

How it is being reported

• Israel's Arab-led parties could decide the election if anyone would partner with themArab parties could win enough seats in Israel's Oct. 27 election to help decide who the next prime minister is.Clickorlando · 16 Oct, 05:54
• Israel's Arab-led parties could decide the election if anyone would partner with themArab parties could win enough seats in Israel's Oct. 27 election to help decide who the next prime minister is.News4Jax · 16 Oct, 05:54

In this story: Benjamin Netanyahu · Mansour Abbas · Yousef Jabareen · Ra'am · Joint List · Israel

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem