Arab-Led Parties Win Record 19 Seats in Israel's Election
Two Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats in Israel's parliament, their highest number ever, The New York Times reported. The seats were decided in the October 27 election for the 26th Knesset, the 120-seat parliament, and the final results showed no clear winner.
The two parties are the Joint List and Ra'am. According to Al Jazeera, nearly 840,000 people voted for them. In the previous election, Arab parties won 10 seats, ABC News reported.
Parties must win at least 3.25 percent of the national vote to enter the Knesset. Above that threshold, seats are shared out among the parties that qualify.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party remained the largest party in the election, according to the Israeli embassy newsletter. Netanyahu's bloc of parties won 53 seats, Arab News reported, while the main opposition bloc won 48, according to AP. Netanyahu's governing coalition has lost its majority, meaning it no longer holds more than half of the 120 seats, BBC News reported.
A coalition is a group of parties that agrees to govern together, and it needs a majority to form a government. Netanyahu's bloc had ruled out forming a coalition with the Arab parties, Reuters reported before the vote. Since the count, the Arab parties have said they want to work with opposition factions. A coalition of 67 seats opposed to Netanyahu has been discussed as a possible outcome, PBS NewsHour reported.
Ra'am is likely to seek a ministerial or deputy ministerial post before joining such a coalition, the Times of Israel reported. A minister heads a government department, and a deputy minister assists one.
Netanyahu's Likud party has made claims about the result. It alleged foreign interference, and said Arab-led parties "stole" the election, the BBC reported.
Thousands of people rallied in Israel calling for a deal between Eisenkot and the Arab parties to remove Netanyahu from office, Al Jazeera reported. US Jewish leaders had earlier urged Israel's opposition parties to join hands with the Arab parties, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The vote count is complete, but the results still need to be certified, AP reported.
