# Arab parties could hold the balance in Israel's election

> Ra'am and the Joint List, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, are projected to win 13 seats and could prove decisive in coalition talks after October 27.
- Title: Arab parties could hold the balance in Israel's election
- Summary: Ra'am and the Joint List, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, are projected to win 13 seats and could prove decisive in coalition talks after…
- Keywords: israel election 2026, ra'am party, joint list, palestinian citizens of israel, benjamin netanyahu, coalition politics, news, world, politics, Arab, parties, hold
- Source: Al Jazeera — https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/19/the-kingmakers-that-could-determine-israels-election?traffic_source=rss
- Author: Simon Speakman Cordall
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: israel election 2026, ra'am party, joint list, palestinian citizens of israel, benjamin netanyahu, coalition politics, news, world, politics
## Netanyahu targets Arab parties
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked Ra'am and the Joint List more often than most rivals in the run-up to Israel's high-stakes election on October 27.
## Arab parties represent 20 percent
Ra'am and the Joint List together represent the Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about twenty percent of the population. The two parties are projected to win thirteen seats.
## Arab lists could decide coalition
If the thirteen-seat projection holds at the October twenty-seventh polls, the Arab-led lists could be critical to any post-election coalition, regardless of its political stripe.
## Key takeaway

Two Arab-led parties representing about 20 percent of Israel's population could become kingmakers in the October 27 election, with 13 projected seats critical to any coalition.