Palestinian citizens of Israel have expressed hope that the strong performance of Arab parties in the elections will translate into concrete action on crime, education, employment and other challenges facing their communities.
Residents of Nazareth welcomed the preliminary results on Wednesday, describing them as a reflection of growing demands for change and improved living conditions.
“The preliminary results, how did they turn out, are excellent results for the Arab community,” said Brosli Elias, a Nazareth resident.
Roya Saleh, an 18-year-old resident, said voters expected those elected to address issues affecting their daily lives.
“In my opinion, the election results reflect people’s attitudes, their desire for change, and we hope that this change will be for the better,” she said.
“We expect the people who were elected to take responsibility and work on the issues that matter to our community, especially violence, crime, education, and job opportunities.”
Rising crime has been a major concern among Palestinian citizens of Israel, with the Abraham Initiatives, an organisation promoting coexistence and equality, recording 186 crime-related killings in Arab communities so far in 2026.
Awni Zoabi, another Nazareth resident, said the community wanted greater security, equal treatment and a better future for younger generations.
“We want to live, we want a future for our children, and we want a future for ourselves,” he said.
Zoabi also expressed concern over what he described as hostility towards the use of Arabic in some public spaces.
“Today, you see the situation, you walk around today, and they don’t want you in certain places to speak in the Arabic language. The Arabic language has become as if it were a crime,” he said.
Palestinian citizens of Israel, comprising about 20 per cent of the country’s population, are descendants of Palestinians who remained within Israel after the 1948 war and their descendants. They hold Israeli citizenship and have the right to vote, but continue to face complaints of discrimination and unequal treatment.
Arab activists have blamed rising crime rates partly on police negligence, while police have attributed the problem in part to a lack of cooperation from community leaders.
Beyond the concerns within Arab communities, the election results are also shaping the political calculations surrounding the formation of Israel’s next government.
Preliminary vote counting has yet to produce a clear path to a parliamentary majority, raising the prospect of prolonged coalition negotiations.
Arab-led parties could become important players in efforts to assemble a governing majority. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected partnerships with Arab parties, while his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, has indicated openness to such alliances.
Although Netanyahu’s Likud party appears to have lost seats, preliminary projections indicate it remains the largest party. If political leaders fail to agree on a governing coalition, another election could become a possibility.
For many Palestinian citizens of Israel, however, the immediate concern extends beyond the contest for power in parliament. They are looking to the incoming political leadership to deliver tangible improvements in public safety, education, employment opportunities and equality.
