A major campaign to increase voter turnout among Israel’s Arab population is gathering momentum ahead of the elections, with left-wing organizations, wealthy donors, and academics joining Arab political parties in an extensive effort to mobilize voters. At the center of the initiative is the New Israel Fund, an umbrella organization supporting numerous left-wing nonprofits and civil society groups in Israel, which has focused its election-related activities on increasing Arab voter participation.
1+One left-wing nonprofit, Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?, has launched a campaign aimed at persuading Israelis to support the formation of a government that includes Arab political parties. The organization is promoting positive publicity videos featuring Mansour Abbas while publishing negative videos targeting parties that oppose forming a government with Arab factions. Meanwhile, the Abraham Initiatives organization has announced that it is dedicating its activities to increasing voter turnout among Arab citizens.
Another organization associated with the New Israel Fund, Zazim, is preparing to help transport Bedouin men and women to polling stations. Hundreds of volunteers have been recruited for the operation. The chairwoman of Zazim has already suggested that Arab voters could prove decisive for the left-wing bloc, declaring that with their help, the bloc would “win the elections in a walk.” Wealthy figures in Israeli society are also participating in efforts to increase Arab voter turnout. Among them is billionaire Kobi Richter, who said he recruited associates from a left-wing pilots’ organization to help transport Bedouin voters to polling stations. The organization was previously involved in promoting the refusal of voluntary military reserve service during the anti-government protest movement.
1+Expectations of increased Arab voter turnout are also emerging within Arab society itself, where the campaign’s organizers hope their efforts will encourage greater participation. Signs of a possible shift can be seen among religious leaders who previously refrained from voting in Knesset elections but now intend to participate. One such figure is Sheikh Mohammed Amara of Umm al-Fahm, who is identified with the Northern Islamic Movement. Amara previously led marches calling for a return to lands belonging to Kibbutz Megiddo. He is now publicly urging voters to support Arab political parties in the upcoming elections.
Could Arab turnout decide the election? Whether the extensive mobilization effort will succeed remains uncertain. For organizations seeking to replace Israel’s right-wing government, however, Arab voter participation has become a central focus of their electoral strategy. The hope among these groups is that higher turnout for Arab parties could help shift the balance of power in the Knesset and enable the opposition to defeat the right-wing bloc.