“Israeli” Knesset Election: Likud Leads, Arab Turnout Surges

By Staff, Agencies 

Polling stations have closed in the “Israeli” election following high voter turnout, particularly among Arab voters, with early projections pointing to a potentially historic result for Arab parties.

Sources from the Joint List announced that it was "a historic day," reporting that voter turnout in the Arab community exceeded 75%.

"Israel’s" Channel 14 reported that available data pointed to a possible record of 18 seats for Arab parties. The channel said earlier that Arab towns recorded the highest turnout rates across "Israel", surpassing settlements in the West Bank, “Haredi” settlements, “Ramat Hasharon”, and “Tel Aviv”.

Turnout reached 64.1% in Al-Atawneh, 47.9% in Qasr al-Sir, and 47.8% in al-Qubay’a.

High participation, it added, reflected a major shift in Arab voting behavior, calling it a level of mobilization not seen in the Arab community for years. Arab turnout in the previous election had fallen below 45% overall and below 40% in some towns.

According to projections cited by Channel 13 political analyst Amit Segal, the opposition bloc was projected to secure 53 seats, compared with 50 for the coalition bloc, while Arab parties were projected to win 17 seats.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud is projected to emerge as the largest party in "Israel’s" Knesset elections, winning 25 seats compared with 21 for Gadi Eisenkot’s "Yashar", according to Kan’s exit poll cited by The Times of "Israel".

With neither side reaching the 61 seats needed for a majority, the projections offer no clear path to forming a cabinet.

Netanyahu may get the first opportunity to assemble a coalition, but if both camps fail, "Israel" could face another election, potentially reviving the prolonged political deadlock seen between 2019 and 2022.