Prominent pollster: Estimated 87% of Arab voters cast ballots for the Joint List

An estimated 87% of Arab Israelis who cast ballots in the Knesset elections on Monday voted for the Joint List, as many Arabs deserted Zionist parties for the alliance of the four largest Arab-majority factions — bucking Blue and White’s rightward push, a prominent pollster says.

The number marks an increase in support for the Joint List among Arabs compared to the last national elections in September, when an estimated 80% of Arab voters backed it, Yousef Makladeh, the head of the Statnet research institute, tells The Times of Israel.

Makladeh says his calculations are based on the results of 99% of the total vote in the elections. The Central Elections Committee has not released the final and complete elections results.

He also says his calculations reflect approximations because it is not feasible to precisely determine how Arab voters cast ballots in mixed Jewish-Arab towns like Jaffa and Ramle.

The Joint List appears to be poised to garner 15 seats in the Knesset and become the third-largest party in the parliament, according to the almost-final results. The party received 13 seats in the parliament in September 2019’s elections.

— Adam Rasgon