Sami Abu Shehadeh, leader of Israel's Balad party, condemned the country's main political leaders for refusing to form a coalition government with Arab parties, calling the move "racist," despite Arab parties being poised to win a record 19 parliamentary seats. Currently, the Netanyahu bloc has secured at least 53 seats, while the opposition Eisenkot bloc has 48 seats, with neither reaching the 61-seat majority required to form a government. Abu Shehadeh stated that Arab-Israeli citizens are considered illegitimate partners, despite their record-high voter turnout. He emphasized that Arab parties are "legitimately elected minority leadership" and reiterated their stance against "genocide and apartheid."