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Israel's Arab Minority Sees Election as Existential
Confirmed
In Short: Israel's Arab minority, comprising about 20-21 percent of the population, sees the October 27 election as a critical moment.
On October 27, Israel will hold a parliamentary election that could have significant implications for its Arab minority, who make up about 20-21 percent of the population.
For the first time, 55-year-old Said Kabat, a pharmacist from the Arab village of Majd al-Krum, plans to vote, reflecting a shift in attitudes among some Arab Israelis.
Kabat told AFP, 'I used to boycott elections all the time, but now I feel it's important to participate.'
The election landscape is complex, with no single party expected to win a majority. Israel uses proportional representation to elect 120 members to the Knesset, and no party has ever won a 61-seat majority since the nation's founding in 1948.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been prime minister for 20 of the last 30 years, faces his toughest election yet. Analysts suggest that the election offers little prospect of material change for Palestinians.
Disqualifying candidates is rare in Israel, but last week, the Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify one candidate at the request of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
The fragmented and chaotic electoral landscape makes predictions difficult. Political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin noted, 'Polls are a reflection of who we are. They’re not a perfect reflection, but then nothing else is either.'
The election's outcome could also impact foreign and domestic policies in African countries, as they weigh the implications of a new Israeli government's stance on the Palestinian cause.
The election's significance extends beyond Israel's borders, with potential consequences for regional stability and cooperation on issues such as agriculture, trade, security, and technology.
What's confirmed
- Israel: After boycotting Israeli parliamentary elections his entire life, 55-year-old Said Kabat will head to the polls for the first time on October 27.
- Since the start of 2026, at least 175 Arab citizens have been killed in violent crime incidents, according to the Abraham Initiatives coexistence organization.
What's still developing
- “Europe and Israel are bound to be friends and allies,” the European Commission president said on April 23, 2023.
- Scarred relations between Europe and Israel may never fully repair, experts said as Israel heads to an election on October 27 that is too close to call.
- “Now the ruling elite in several countries is trying to align itself with the public,” Neve Gordon, an Israeli professor of human rights law at Queen Mary University in London, told Al Jazeera, adding that the pro-Palestine movement had changed the “common sense” position of governments.
- Re: “ Kiros’ candidacy scares me as liberal Jewish woman,” June 25 guest commentary As a Jewish woman, I was upset by Rabbi Rachel Kobrin’s use of her liberalism and womanhood to attack Melat Kiros because she supposedly thinks the state of Israel should not exist.
- Disqualifying candidates is rare in Israel, where the Supreme Court has historically overturned most bans approved by the elections committee.
- “I think the more we know about ourselves, the better.” To understand why Israel’s fragmented and chaotic electoral landscape is so hard to predict, it’s useful to look at another case where polling is much more straightforward: US Senate races.
- A criminal attack by several Jewish extremists becomes a judgment on “the settlers,” then on Israel itself.
- Lagos, Nigeria – As Israelis prepare to vote on October 27, African governments from Pretoria to Rabat are weighing what the result could mean for their own foreign and domestic policies.
- “The October 27 election will therefore be pivotal, as a new government’s stance on the Palestinian cause will shape how far Africa cooperates on agriculture, trade, security and technology, guided by self-determination and international law as well as bilateral interests,” Johnson said.
- "Attacking a female photographer is a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards," Huckabee wrote on X, taking a far stronger tone than an earlier statement from Washington.
- "I've been covering this region for over 40 years, and I have never seen this country in such a state as it is today," Levine said, adding that she was "shocked and insulted" that Netanyahu referred to the attack on her and others as an alleged one.
- Now, Israel is preparing for a highly polarised parliamentary election on October 27, which could be consequential for the entire region.