Elections: Arab media weighs the impact of the Israeli vote

The number 2,000 appears in a Lebanon-based analysis as the count of activists deployed to deter Arab citizens from voting. This figure is central to a narrative spreading across Middle Eastern media that the upcoming Israeli election is being managed to weaken the influence of Arab-led parties.

Regional outlets are closely monitoring the contest, with a specific focus on the Joint List and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party. Analysts note that neither major political bloc holds a guaranteed parliamentary majority. Consequently, the performance of these Arab parties will likely determine which side forms the next government.

In Egypt, Alghad TV broadcast remarks from Hadash politician Shadi Shweiri on Sunday. He described the election as a unique opportunity for Arab citizens to advance national demands. Shweiri argued that Arab parties should not support any candidate seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said they should choose only a leader willing to halt military operations and improve economic conditions for Arab citizens.

Shweiri accused the current government of racism and of committing crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. He stated that the right to vote was not an act of goodwill by Israel. Instead, he said it was a condition for Israel’s acceptance into the United Nations in 1948. “They cannot take this right away from us, although, as Netanyahu does, they can act outside the bounds of legitimacy,” Shweiri said.

Iranian officials have offered a contrasting view. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a Monday press conference that the outcome of Tuesday’s election makes no difference to Tehran. Baghaei expressed disagreement with elections in occupied territories, describing the candidates as gangs competing to commit more evil. “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,” Baghaei said.

Despite this official stance, Iranian state-affiliated media, including the Tasnim News Agency, continue to report on polls measuring Likud’s chances. The London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Monday that a potential political stalemate could leave Netanyahu leading a caretaker government. The outlet featured an analysis by Beirut Hammoud, who framed the election as occurring after three years of conflict.

Hammoud argued that international support for Israel is declining. She noted that opposition politicians differ from Netanyahu only in their methods of managing the conflict. “They differ from him only in their methods of managing the conflict,” she claimed. She accused the prime minister of leading a government of ruin and ethnic cleansing.

The Lebanon-based outlet Al-Khanadeq published an analysis alleging that Netanyahu has portrayed the Arab vote as a liability. The piece cited AI-generated campaign material showing Gadi Eisenkot alongside Mansour Abbas. The author argued that this imagery targets the soft right and Jewish voters who want a change but are hesitant about a government based on Arab partnership. The analysis also cited efforts by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Arab-majority parties.

The Palestinian news site Al Quds published an article by Dr. Ahmed Youseff, a former senior adviser to Ismail Haniyeh. Youseff noted that the timing of the Israeli elections aligns with the United States midterm elections. He argued that an Eisenkot victory could reopen doors for international diplomacy and accountability. “The hopes are clear: that Netanyahu and his allies will lose,” Youseff wrote. He added that the American vote should curb the drive toward confrontation and empower Congress to push for a political path that spares the region a wider war.

Youseff concluded that a realistic assessment requires distinguishing hopes from certain outcomes. He stated that the value of the elections will be measured by the opportunities they offer for accountability and policy change. He said the voters’ voices must translate into concrete steps that curb war and extremism.