Arab parties summed up the elections with a mixed feeling of success and a missed opportunity. A final appraisal will be possible only after the soldiers' votes are counted and we know whether the United Arab List-Ta'al will hang on to their fifth seat, and if Hadash and Balad will keep their current tallies of four and three MKs respectively.
Each of the three parties enjoyed an increase of several thousand voices, with Hadash adding votes in central Israel, thanks to Jewish voters.
But it was a close race between the two blocs, thus the feeling that an opportunity was missed. A higher percentage of votes among the Arab community (more than 60%) could have drastically changed the picture, giving the center-left and Arab bloc a clear victory.
"We could have ousted Netanyahu," Ahmed Tibi, United Arab List-Ta’al leader, said bitterly, while Hadash chairman Mohammed Barakeh called on all those who refrained from voting to "take a close look at yourselves in the mirror."
Still, those who followed Election Day in the Arab Community could have an entirely different take – that it was the Arab MKs themselves who should take a look at their behavior. The MKs will enjoy a third or fourth term in the Knesset, and the voters came out in droves.
According to date from the Central Elections Committee in the afternoon, a high turnout among Jewish voters put pressure on the parties' headquarters. They put out a message about the danger of decreased Arab representation and the rise of the extreme right, and called on Arabs to get out and vote.
Many of them did, but until that moment, Election Day was marked by indifference, low morale and distrust in the establishment. The Arab voters actually sent a clear message to politicians: Talk directly to us, not only to the activists. Examine your own actions, bring in new energy and have a clear agenda.
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