Israel's democracy is undergoing a significant test following last week's election, where Arab political parties achieved historic gains. This outcome has placed opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a difficult position regarding whether to grant Arab lawmakers a share of power in a new administration.
While the opposition bloc secured a clear majority by winning 67 out of 120 seats in Parliament, 19 of those seats belong to Arab parties. Consequently, many Jewish lawmakers view the inclusion of these factions as highly problematic. Opposition leaders are currently contorting their strategies to find ways to form a government that does not rely on Arab legislators.
The reluctance to build a coalition with the two main Arab groups, the United Arab List (Raam) and the Joint List, has frustrated political activists who worked to drive Arab voter turnout to a near-record high of 77 percent. Alon-Lee Green, a founder of the Jewish-Arab organization Standing Together, questioned the complexity of the situation, stating that the vote of an Arab citizen should hold equal weight to that of a Jewish citizen.
These efforts to sideline Arab parties have also intensified complaints among Arab citizens, who make up approximately 20 percent of the country's population. Many feel that Israeli Jews are willing to welcome their participation in the political process only until they might wield actual power.
Sources: The New York Times World.