Israelis head to the polls on October 27 for a general election that will pit the right-wing bloc of current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a bloc consisting of centre and left-wing parties. The governing parties and the opposition grouping both look set to fall short of an outright majority.

Everything may now hinge on the performance of the two small Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, whose seats in the Knesset (parliament) could provide the opposition with an opportunity to unseat Netanyahu.

There are about 2.1 million Arab-Israelis, making up roughly 21% of the country’s population. Their interests tend to be represented by Ra’am and the Joint List, both of which have played a more prominent role in Israeli politics in recent years.

In the aftermath of the 2021 election, the Ra'am party leader, Mansour Abbas, joined with opposition leaders from across the political spectrum to unseat Netanyahu. This made Ra’am the first independent Arab party to join an Israeli coalition.

Naftali Bennett’s government collapsed after one year, opening the door for Netanyahu to return. But the episode shattered the conventional political wisdom that Arab parties in the Knesset should be excluded from government based on ideological, political and security factors.

Despite this breakthrough, Arab-led parties have struggled to maintain legitimacy and trust from Israeli Jews since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7 2023. Arab citizens, often critical of Israeli military actions in Gaza, have been treated with increased suspicion and hostility by many right-wing and centrist Israelis.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for example,........

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