A new survey by Tel Aviv University has found that a clear majority of Arab citizens of Israel want to see Arab political parties represented in the next Israeli government, pointing to growing interest in Jewish-Arab political cooperation following the recent war between Israel and Iran.
According to the findings released Sunday, 73.2% of Arab Israeli respondents support the inclusion of an Arab party in a future coalition. Of those, 41.8% are open to joining any political bloc, while 31.4% favor only center-left alignments.
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The poll also indicated an upswing in expected voter turnout. If elections were held today, 57% of Arab voters would likely cast ballots—an increase over the 53.2% turnout in the 2022 elections.
Support for political cooperation across ethnic lines remains relatively strong: 66% of Arab Israelis believe such cooperation is important. But only 40.2% think the Jewish public feels the same, revealing a gap in mutual trust or perception.
In terms of personal security, the picture is more troubling. Some 75.4% of respondents said they feel unsafe, largely due to ongoing crime in Arab towns and the fallout from the Gaza conflict. Nonetheless, 64% described their financial situation as relatively good.
The survey reflects deeper shifts in political engagement and civic confidence among Arab citizens, who make up about 21% of Israel’s population and have long struggled with underrepresentation and economic disparity.