Jerusalem:Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List (Ra'am), expressed his aspirations for his party and the Israeli opposition bloc to achieve the 61-seat majority necessary to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Abbas conveyed his hope for change through this potential majority during an interview with Israel's Channel 12. He noted that the current parliamentary numbers do not allow for a government to be formed.

Abbas highlighted the significant voter turnout among Arab citizens, suggesting that their previous feelings of despair and frustration have transformed into hope. Despite the reluctance of opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman to collaborate with Ra'am, Abbas indicated that these issues would be addressed post-election.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Joint List gathered in celebration in Nazareth, expressing their sentiments against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List, noted that the election projections align with their objective of forming a robust list for change.

Channel 12's exit poll indicated an 80% turnout among Arab voters, projecting 18 seats for Arab parties in the Knesset, alongside 52 seats for the bloc led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, and 50 for Netanyahu's bloc. Neither bloc was expected to secure a majority.

The Central Elections Committee reported an overall voter turnout of 77.7%, marking the highest since 1999 and an increase of 7.1 percentage points from the 2022 election. The vote counting commenced after the polls closed on Tuesday at 10 pm local time.