Is it possible that an Islamist-Arab party might determine who governs Israel? A new article by Richard Pildes in Election Law Blog addresses this question. Here is an excerpt:

While election numbers are still coming in, the current analysis is that the pro-Netanyahu bloc of parties would be able to muster at most 59 seats, and the anti-Netanyahu bloc 56 seats. In Israel’s 120-seat Knesset, control of 61 seats is necessary to choose the Prime Minister and decide who heads the government. In a result that defined pre-election polling, a new, more conservative Islamist party — Ra’am — broke off from the other Arab parties and appears to have won 5 seats. That would make Ra’am the kingmaker in deciding which bloc would get to the 61 votes needed to control the government (unless no governing coalition can be formed and yet another national election is required).

Read the full article here.