Balad leader blasts ‘racist’ exclusion of Arab parties in Israel

What the report says

The leader of Israel’s Balad party, Sami Abu Shehadeh, has criticized the country’s main political forces for refusing to work with Arab parties after an inconclusive election left no bloc with a governing majority. In comments to Al Jazeera on 28 October 2026, he said Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about a fifth of the population, were being treated as illegitimate political partners despite strong turnout.

With 85 percent of the vote counted, Al Jazeera reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc was ahead with at least 53 seats, while the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot had 48. Both remained below the 61 seats needed to form a government. The article said Arab parties were on track for a record 19 seats, which could give them leverage in coalition talks, but the opposition was still signaling that it preferred a Zionist government rather than partnering with Arab factions.

Abu Shehadeh rejected the effort to exclude Arab parties as discriminatory and said his community wants a political alternative built around equality, justice and freedom for both peoples. The report also noted that he had previously faced a disqualification effort pushed by far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, before withdrawing from the contest after signaling the Supreme Court may uphold the move.

The issue matters because Arab parties could hold the balance of power in a tightly split parliament, yet longstanding political resistance to relying on them may limit their influence even in a record-setting election result.