An unprecedented turnout of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the October 27 Israeli election delivered a record 19 seats for Arab parties, sparking hope for political change. Instead, the achievement was swiftly met with accusations of 'election terrorism' from right-wing figures, fraud allegations that authorities found no evidence to support, and what many voters describe as a renewed 'loyalty test' highlighting their contested place in Israeli society.
Likud party figures, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, accused the Arab parties of stealing the election through 'bribery, threats, violence, forgeries' within a day of the vote. The accusations have continued even after the Central Elections Committee and the Israeli police said they found no sign of organised tampering. The hard-right Channel 14 ran segments framing the high Arab turnout as 'election terrorism'.
The Arab parties' record 19 seats push Gadi Eisenkot's anti-Netanyahu bloc past the 61-seat threshold needed to form a ruling coalition. However, expert Thabet Abu Rass told Al Jazeera that instead of being welcomed as potential coalition partners, the Arab parties are now 'facing the whole Israeli system' and what he calls the 'deep state'.
Lama Yassin, who grew up in Arrabeh and works to advance the rights of Palestinian citizens, captured her frustration in an Instagram video that went viral among Palestinians. “Eating hummus with us? ‘Brothers and friends’. Seeking political power? ‘Terror supporters’. Helping someone in distress? ‘Brothers and friends’. Voting in large numbers? ‘Terror at the ballot box’,” she said, describing the doublespeak Palestinians often hear from Israelis.
In Jaffa's Ajami neighbourhood, former city councilman Omar Siksik tied the current political struggle to the history of Palestinian displacement in Israel. He recalled how after the 1948 Nakba, the Palestinian population of Jaffa was reduced from 100,000 to fewer than 4,000, fenced into what he called the 'Ajami ghetto' under military rule. Siksik noted the democratic election is 'the only thing where we're equal with the Jews. The only thing.' He said that when Arab voters expressed dissatisfaction with the government, the vote was reframed as 'a danger to the state.'
The political backlash has been accompanied by active security investigations. Israeli police arrested seven Bedouin men on suspicion of paying people to vote for the Ra'am party. The Shin Bet has investigated Arab political leader Ayman Odeh over allegations he received money from foreign sources to influence voter turnout. Odeh denies the allegations, calling them 'political persecution'. Journalist and activist Abed Abou Shehadeh was also arrested in a pre-dawn raid on his home in Jaffa, accused of having 'contacts with a foreign agent'.
Echoing the loyalty test theme, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who publicly condemned 'racist expressions', asked Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas whether he considers Hamas a terrorist organisation during meetings with party leaders. 'You cannot constantly put us to this test,' Abbas replied, according to Israeli media. Meanwhile, Avigdor Liberman, once a fierce opponent of the Haredi parties over military service, has signalled he would work with them to form an anti-Netanyahu government without the Arab parties, despite them offering to support the coalition from outside.
'If they don't want my representatives, it also means that they don't want me,' Yassin reflected from a Tel Aviv cafe, overhearing conversations about Gaza. Despite warnings from voters like Nadia in Jaffa that 'if we raise our voice in the ballot, we are dismissed,' Yassin said: 'We don't have the privilege of giving up. If we don't do this work, no one will.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The outcome of this political crisis will determine whether Israel's democracy can integrate its Palestinian minority as equal political partners.
- It tests whether the anti-Netanyahu coalition is willing to work with Arab parties or prefers a more right-wing, exclusionary government.
- The 'loyalty test' dynamic highlights a deepening rift in Israeli society over identity and citizenship.
Background
After Israel's 1948 establishment, Jaffa's Palestinian population was reduced from 100,000 to fewer than 4,000, confined to the Ajami neighbourhood under military rule. While martial law was later lifted and citizenship granted, the source notes that many Palestinian citizens of Israel argue their presence has been tolerated out of economic necessity (as construction workers, doctors and bus drivers) rather than from a commitment to political equality. This long history of conditional acceptance set the stage for the political confrontation that followed the record Arab turnout in the October 27 election.
Key Perspectives
- Arab voters and leaders (Lama Yassin, Thabet Abu Rass, Ayman Odeh, Mansour Abbas): see the record election result as a democratic demand for change, and interpret the subsequent accusations, investigations, and 'loyalty tests' as a systemic rejection of their political equality within the state.
- Likud and far-right figures: accused the Arab parties of stealing the election through 'bribery, threats, violence, forgeries' and of engaging in 'election terrorism'.
- Israeli security authorities: found no evidence of organised election tampering, but have opened investigations into Arab leaders and activists on suspicion of fraud and foreign contacts.
- President Isaac Herzog: condemned public 'racist expressions', but asked the Ra'am leader whether he considers Hamas a terrorist organisation.
- Avigdor Liberman: has signalled he would work with Haredi parties to form an anti-Netanyahu government, sidelining the Arab parties despite their seats being crucial to the bloc's majority.
- Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc: depends on Arab parties for a governing majority, but has been cautious about formally including them, exploring other coalition options.
What to Watch
- Whether President Herzog gives the mandate to form a government to Gadi Eisenkot, and what conditions are attached.
- The outcome of the Shin Bet investigation into Ayman Odeh and whether the cases against Arab activists advance.
- Whether the anti-Netanyahu bloc can form a government with the Haredi parties, effectively excluding the Arab parties from power despite their historic election win.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedArab voters face a “loyalty test” after a record Knesset win.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The overwhelming Arab turnout in the October 27 Israeli election won the Arab parties a record 19 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.”
- Partly supportedAuthorities found no evidence to support the election-fraud allegations.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The accusations have continued even after the Central Elections Committee and the Israeli police said they found no sign of organised tampering.”
- SupportedSecurity investigations followed the Arab parties’ record gains.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Arab political leader Ayman Odeh now faces investigations as well by the Shin Bet intelligence service”
- Partly supportedPalestinian citizens of Israel had unprecedented turnout in the October 27 election.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The overwhelming Arab turnout in the October 27 Israeli election won the Arab parties a record 19 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.”
- SupportedThe election delivered a record 19 seats for Arab parties.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The overwhelming Arab turnout in the October 27 Israeli election won the Arab parties a record 19 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.”
- SupportedWithin a day of the vote, Likud figures including Itamar Ben-Gvir accused Arab parties of stealing the election through “bribery, threats, violence, forgeries”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Within a day of the vote, Likud and figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir accused the Arab parties of stealing the election through “bribery, threats, violence, forgeries”.”
- Partly supportedChannel 14 ran segments framing high Arab turnout as “election terrorism”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The “most disgusting term” she saw online, however, was the repeated refrain of “election terrorism” on Channel 14, the hard-right, pro-Netanyahu station.”
- SupportedThe Arab parties’ 19 seats pushed Gadi Eisenkot’s anti-Netanyahu bloc past the 61-seat threshold for a ruling coalition.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Their seats push it past the 61-seat threshold for a ruling coalition.”
- SupportedThabet Abu Rass said the Arab parties were “facing the whole Israeli system” and the “deep state”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““We are now facing the whole Israeli system,” says Abu Rass. “I think we are facing the deep state also.””
- Partly supportedIsraeli police arrested seven Bedouin men on suspicion of paying people to vote for Ra’am.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “In the south, meanwhile, police arrested seven Bedouin men on suspicion of planning to pay people to vote for Ra’am”
- SupportedThe Shin Bet investigated Ayman Odeh over allegations that he received foreign money to influence voter turnout.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Arab political leader Ayman Odeh now faces investigations as well by the Shin Bet intelligence service, which is run by the Netanyahu-aligned David Zini, over allegations that he received money from foreign sources to influence voter turnout.”
- Partly supportedAbed Abou Shehadeh was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on his Jaffa home.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “In Jaffa, that wider climate was felt on November 3, when, about midnight, about 15 security officers, a few of them masked, raided the Jaffa home of Abed Abou Shehadeh”