Arab Parties Hold Key to Breaking Israeli Election Deadlock

For millions of Arab citizens in Israel, Tuesday’s election represents a narrow choice between competing political forces rather than a simple binary. As polls indicate that neither major bloc is guaranteed a parliamentary majority, the performance of Arab-led parties has become the central factor in determining the next government. Regional media across the Middle East are focusing on how these parties will leverage their seats to shape policy.

The Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad, and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party are the primary subjects of this analysis. In an interview with Egypt’s Alghad TV, Hadash politician Shadi Shweiri described the current political moment as a unique opportunity to advance national demands. He argued that Arab parties should not support any candidate seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but only one willing to halt military operations and improve economic conditions for Arab citizens.

Shweiri accused the current government of racism and specific crimes in Gaza. He stated that the right to vote was secured through international pressure, not as an act of goodwill by the Israeli state. “Our situation is that we are being asked to choose between the bad and the worse, rather than between the good and the better,” Shweiri said. He noted that this right was a fundamental condition for Israel’s acceptance into the United Nations in 1948.

In Tehran, Iranian officials have largely dismissed the impact of the vote. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Monday that the outcome makes no difference to Iran. “I do not agree with elections in the occupied territories at all; there is competition between different gangs to commit more evil,” Baghaei said. Despite this public stance, Iranian state-affiliated media, including the Tasnim News Agency, have published multiple polls examining Likud’s chances of winning.

Qatar-based journalist Beirut Hammoud wrote for Al-Araby Al-Jadeed about fears of a political stalemate that could leave Netanyahu leading a caretaker government. She framed the election as occurring after three years of conflict in the Palestinian territories. Hammoud argued that opposition politicians differ from Netanyahu only in their methods of managing the conflict, describing his current administration as a government of ruin.

Lebanon’s pro-Hezbollah outlet Al-Khanadeq alleged that Netanyahu’s camp is manipulating the narrative to portray the Arab vote as a liability. The analysis pointed to AI-generated campaign material showing Gadi Eisenkot alongside Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas. The author argued that this imagery targets the “soft right” and raises the political cost for Jewish voters who want Netanyahu gone but are hesitant about an Arab partnership.

Dr. Ahmed Youseff, a former adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, wrote for the Palestinian site Al Quds that the timing of the Israeli election alongside U.S. midterms could reshape the region. Youseff suggested that Eisenkot’s victory might reopen international diplomacy and accountability processes. He wrote that a realistic assessment requires distinguishing between hopes and certain outcomes, noting that the true value of the election will be measured by the concrete steps taken to curb war and extremism.