Tuesday came as no surprise to the Arab public. The results were known in advance, and all along. Balad, whether it makes it into the Knesset or not, will claim – and perhaps rightly so – that it was responsible for the increase in the percentage of Arab voters, for it is the one that brought vitality to the sleepiness that characterized the period prior to the submission of the electoral lists, even though it seems that the split from the Joint Arab List (now Hadash-Ta'al) might result in Benjamin Netanyahu coming back to power.
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Arab Israeli politics have reached a new low. Now after the end of the election campaign, the Arab parties and their representatives in the Knesset will have to do some self-reflection. They will have to explain how a fifth of the country's citizens fail to integrate into Israeli politics, neither in the opposition nor in the coalition, and neither when there are 15 seats nor when there are four.
Two factors led to the increase in the percentage of Arab voters. The first is the conduct of right-wing leaders Netanyahu and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who scared the Jewish public with the number of Arab voters expected. During their campaigns, Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir spared no claims or pulling out guns. They essentially allowed the Arab parties to present the voters with a convincing picture of what exactly the leaders of the Right think about the Arab public and its leaders.
The second factor was the split from the Joint Arab List, which may have caused more people to vote for Balad, a faction portrayed as militant and anti-Israeli. If Netanyahu becomes prime minister again, it will partly be thanks to the Arabs, especially those who broke away.
In any case, the politicians from the Zionist parties will continue to deal with the issue of Arab citizens in Israel. The Left, which is not satisfied with the percentage of votes in the Arab sector, and on the other hand, the Right, which was afraid of a high percentage of such votes. Unfortunately, the preoccupation will most likely not focus on integrating the Arab population, but will come from a place of intimidation and "stealing the Jewish state," as some right-wingers claim. This scenario, which has been going on for over a decade, could lead to a clash between the Arab public and the state and its institution, which has happened in the past.
To conclude, the election results are not a victory for one bloc or another. Even if a coalition is formed out of compulsion, it will be required to address all issues and serve all citizens – including the Arabs. As long as Jewish and Arab politicians continue to directly or indirectly promote the suppression and alienation of a fifth of the country's citizens, we will not reach a safe shore. However, as the political crisis in Israel continues, the Arabs will be the solution for anyone who will launch a coalition. Parliamentary work begins and ends with cooperation for all citizens.
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