Balad leader condemns Arab party exclusion after Israel vote
Sami Abu Shehadeh says refusing to include Arab parties in a coalition is racist, as partial results leave both blocs short of a governing majority.
The story in focus
Al Jazeera reports that Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh called the refusal of Israel's main political blocs to form a coalition with Arab parties racist, after the 28 October 2026 election. With 85 percent counted, Arab parties were set for a record 19 seats. Final results remain pending.
- Al Jazeera reported Abu Shehadeh described the exclusion of Arab parties as racism
- With 85 percent of votes counted, Arab parties were on course for a record 19 seats
- Netanyahu's bloc had at least 53 seats and the Eisenkot-led opposition 48, both short of 61
- Abu Shehadeh was not a candidate after withdrawing over disqualification proceedings
- Final results and coalition formation remained pending
Partial results and bloc arithmetic
Al Jazeera reported on 28 October 2026 that, with 85 percent of votes counted, Israel's Central Elections Committee had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc ahead with at least 53 seats and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot on 48. Both were short of the 61 needed to govern, while Arab parties were on course to win a record 19 seats.
Netanyahu said Israelis had chosen a strong right-wing government, while Eisenkot said they had voted for change. Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said Eisenkot and his allies had indicated they wanted a Zionist government and did not want to form one with the Arab parties.
Disqualification and the next step
Abu Shehadeh, who leads Balad, one of the Joint List's three parties, was not a candidate. The elections committee voted to disqualify him at the request of far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Abu Shehadeh told the Supreme Court he did not support armed struggle but acknowledged a paragraph in the cited article had been incorrectly worded.
He withdrew in October after a majority of the Supreme Court panel appeared willing to approve the disqualification, rejecting the grounds. Final results and coalition formation remained pending.
What did Al Jazeera report about the Arab parties' seat projection?
It reported that, with 85 percent of votes counted, Arab parties were on course to win a record 19 seats, potentially giving them decisive leverage over the main blocs.
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