Record Palestinian-citizen turnout in Israel threatens Netanyahu's coalition majority

Palestinian citizens of Israel voted in unprecedented numbers in Israel's parliamentary elections, with some towns reporting turnout above 70 percent — well above the 45-to-65 percent range recorded in recent years.

Preliminary reports suggest the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra'am) could secure up to 17 seats combined, enough to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from reaching the 61-seat majority required to form a government.

The surge followed a series of measures by Netanyahu's coalition that Arab leaders said had directly provoked it. Attempts by Jewish settlers to establish an outpost on Palestinian land in Majd al-Krum in the Upper Galilee were cited as one catalyst. Hussein Manna, a resident of Majd al-Krum, told Al Jazeera that "the matter provoked" people who had been indifferent to elections and unwilling to vote, and that they understood the consequences if the government returned to power.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had targeted Arab voters heavily during the campaign, an approach that appeared to have backfired.

Ahmad Tibi, head of the Arab Movement for Renewal, said his first goal was to bring down what he described as "the government of Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir," characterizing it as a government of crimes, failure, racism and incitement against the Arab community. He warned, however, that leaders of nearly all parties opposed to Netanyahu had ruled out a formal alliance with the Arab parties, describing that stance as a "racist position" in the post-October 7 environment.

Walid al-Omari, Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Palestine, called the vote "fateful for Netanyahu and for his political future," warning that if Netanyahu's coalition remains in power, Israel "will move more towards racism and towards extremism."

The Arab parties have stated they are prepared to extend tacit support to an alternative government in exchange for strict demands, including removing Ben-Gvir and Smotrich from any future cabinet.