Could Arab-led parties become kingmakers after Israel's 2026 election, as the BBC reported?

Yolande Knell reported that Arab-led parties were on course for an unprecedented 17 seats, giving them the balance of power, after a much higher turnout among Arab citizens, who make up about 21% of Israel's population. Gadi Eisenkot could only govern with their support. The Joint Arab List offered to act as a safety net for a minority government, and Mansour Abbas's smaller party said it wanted to join a government.

• Most Jewish opposition parties ruled out a coalition with Arab parties during the campaign, which Knell said had become almost taboo.
• Knell said many Arab voters were driven by a wish to remove what they saw as Israel's most right-wing government ever.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-10-28). Read the whole episode summary →

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