Dr. Hussam Abu Bakr: 19 seats and the order of the hour – Jewish-Arab partnership as a democratic key
Dr. Hussam Abu Bakr argues that the 19 seats won by Arab parties constitute a test for Israeli democracy: is the voice of Arab citizens legitimate only at the ballot box, or also in determining the composition of the government? He calls for a Jewish-Arab partnership as a way out of the political deadlock, citing the precedent of Ra'am from 2021.
Dr. Hussam Abu Bakr, CEO of the Alfenar Organization for Socio-Economic Development, argues in an opinion piece that the results of the elections for the 26th Knesset, in which the Arab parties won 19 seats, pose a test for Israeli democracy: is the voice of Arab citizens legitimate only at the ballot box, or also when it may decide who will form the government? According to him, the Netanyahu bloc holds 53 seats and the change bloc holds 48 without the Arab parties (67 with them), so no bloc reaches 61 without Arab cooperation. He calls for a Jewish-Arab partnership as a way out of the political deadlock, citing the precedent of the Bennett-Lapid government in which Ra'am participated in 2021. The article highlights shared interests such as fighting crime, reducing gaps in education and infrastructure, and economic development, and warns against political exclusion of the Arab public, which constitutes about a fifth of the population. The analysis is based on values of civic equality and mutual legitimacy, while acknowledging the complexity of the national conflict.