The upcoming election is drawing attention across the Arab world, with regional media examining the political contest, its implications for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future, and what a change in government could mean for the future of Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution.
Beyond speculation about Netanyahu’s political future, several Arab media outlets have focused on the potential influence of Arab voters and Arab-led parties on the election outcome, particularly the Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad, and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party. With neither major political bloc guaranteed a parliamentary majority, many Arab outlets have focused on the significance of the parties’ electoral performance in determining the next government.
Egypt’s Alghad TV reported on remarks made by Hadash politician Shadi Shweiri on Sunday, highlighting the influence of the Arab vote and what he described as a unique opportunity for Arab citizens of Israel to advance their national demands through the electoral process.
The report referred to Arab citizens of Israel as “Palestinians in the country” and emphasized that Arab parties should not support just any candidate seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but one willing to halt Israel’s military operations in the region and improve economic opportunities for Arab citizens.
Shweiri accused the current government of racism and of committing crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. He also argued that Arab citizens’ right to vote should not be viewed as evidence of goodwill on Israel’s part, but as a right secured through international pressure.
Shweiri: Choice for Israel's Arabs 'between the bad and the worse'
“Our situation is that we are being asked to choose between the bad and the worse, rather than between the good and the better,” Shweiri said. “I want to emphasize something for our brothers and sisters in the Arab world who hear and see Israel described as a democratic state that gives equal voting rights to Jewish and Arab citizens. This was not an act of goodwill by the Zionist movement or the Israeli government. It was a fundamental condition for Israel’s acceptance as a member of the United Nations in 1948 and as part of the international community.
“They cannot take this right away from us, although, as Netanyahu does, they can act outside the bounds of legitimacy.”
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have downplayed the significance of Israel’s election, which is taking place amid continued tensions between the two countries following years of direct confrontations and conflict involving Iran-backed groups.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference on Monday that the outcome of Tuesday’s election “makes no difference to us.”
“I do not agree with elections in the occupied territories at all; there is competition between different gangs to commit more evil,” Baghaei said. “Their most important slogan is that ‘I can commit more crimes than you.’ It makes no difference to us in such an environment who becomes the helm of a regime that has achieved nothing but killing and genocide.”
Despite Baghaei’s assertion that the candidates’ identities make no difference to Tehran, Iranian state-affiliated media, including the Tasnim News Agency, have reported on multiple polls examining Likud’s chances of winning the election.
The London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, owned by Qatar’s Fadaat Media, reported on Monday on fears of a potential “political stalemate” that could leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leading a caretaker government.
In an analysis by Qatar-based Palestinian journalist Beirut Hammoud, the outlet framed the election as taking place after three years of what it described as “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” across the Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem.
After examining polls measuring Netanyahu’s chances of electoral success, Hammoud highlighted what she described as declining international support for Israel. She argued that even opposition politicians differed little from the prime minister, whom she accused of leading a “government of ruin.”
“They differ from him only in their methods of managing the conflict,” she claimed.
Pro-Hezbollah outlet accuses Netanyahu of portraying Arab vote as liability
Meanwhile, the Lebanon-based, pro-Hezbollah media outlet Al-Khanadeq published an analysis on Monday alleging that Netanyahu had manipulated the political landscape by portraying the Arab vote as a liability.
The article pointed to AI-generated campaign material associated with Netanyahu’s camp depicting political figures, including Yashar's Gadi Eisenkot, alongside Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas.
“Portraying Eisenkot as a hostage of Arab politicians specifically targets the ‘soft right,’ which might distance itself from Likud. Thus, the campaign’s impact extends beyond weakening the Arab vote; it also reaches Jewish voters who want Netanyahu gone but are hesitant about a government based on Arab partnership,” the author argued. “The incitement works in two directions: it redistributes seats and raises the cost of utilizing them after the election.”
The analysis also cited efforts by the Central Elections Committee (CEC) to disqualify Arab-majority parties and alleged attempts to deter Arab citizens from voting through the deployment of 2,000 activists. The author presented these developments as evidence of what they characterized as Netanyahu’s attempts to evade the consequences of the electoral process.
The Palestinian news site Al Quds, based in east Jerusalem, paid special attention to the timing of Israel’s elections around the United States’ midterms, noting that the result of both could reshape the region.
Written by Dr. Ahmed Youseff, a former senior advisor to assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the article argued that Eisenkot’s victory could reopen the door for Israel’s international diplomacy efforts and for accountability for Israel’s security failures, but it would necessarily “dismantle established political systems or guarantee a shift in positions.”
“The hopes are clear: that Netanyahu and his allies will lose, that Israeli society will have an opportunity to reassess its policies of war and extremism, that the language of threats and incitement will subside, and that those responsible for failures and violations will be held accountable,” he wrote. “The American vote should also curb Trump's drive toward confrontation and empower Congress to hold the administration accountable and push for a political path that spares the region a wider war.
“However, a realistic assessment requires us not to confuse hopes with certain outcomes…the true value of these elections will be measured by the opportunities they offer for accountability, pressure, and policy change, and by whether the voters' voices translate into concrete steps that curb war and extremism and restore respect for rights and justice.”