Israel's Arab parties win a record 19 mandates in the Knesset elections

According to preliminary results of the October 27 parliamentary elections, the united lists Raam and the Joint List received more than 783,000 votes (15.3%), corresponding to roughly 19 of 120 seats — a historic maximum for Arab parties. Turnout among Arab citizens is estimated at about 80%. No bloc yet holds a majority of 61 mandates.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 29 October 2026 at 22:302 min read

The key facts

Raam and the Joint List together received more than 783,000 votes — about 19 mandates; the previous record was 15 seats in 2020
Arab voter turnout is estimated at about 80%, compared with 53.2% in 2022
Netanyahu's bloc has 53 mandates, Gadi Eisenkot's bloc 48; final results are to be announced by November 4

Record result for Arab parties

In Israel's parliamentary elections on October 27, according to preliminary official data from the Central Elections Committee, after votes from 98% of polling stations were counted, the Arab parties Raam and the Joint List together received more than 783,000 votes — 15.3% of valid ballots. According to tallies by Reuters and CNN, this corresponds to roughly 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. This is reported by Kun.uz citing international outlets. Arab parties have never held this many seats in the Knesset in the history of the state.

How the result compares with previous records

The previous record was set in 2020, when four Arab parties ran as a single Joint List and won 15 mandates with 581,500 votes. This time, the two lists gathered more than 780,000 votes. According to an assessment by The New York Times, this is likely the largest result for Arab parties since the founding of the State of Israel. Turnout is also rising: according to the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), turnout among Arab citizens was 44.6% in 2021 and 53.2% in 2022, while preliminary estimates by international outlets put it at nearly 80% this time — the highest level in about half a century.

What is happening with the balance of power in parliament

According to preliminary data, Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc receives 53 mandates, while the opposition bloc led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has 48; neither holds a majority of 61 seats. In this configuration, the Arab parties on paper become a force that determines the fate of the government — their result is being called the biggest surprise of the election. The outcome is not yet final: counting of 'double envelope' votes from soldiers, diplomats, prisoners and hospital patients is ongoing, and official results are expected to be announced by November 4.