Voter participation in Rahat, Israel’s largest Bedouin city, approached 80% on Election Day, rising from 60.6% in the previous election as turnout increased across Negev communities. Arab party campaign offices celebrated the mobilization as a rebuke to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, while local Likud activists accused him of undermining the right-wing bloc’s electoral prospects.
Activists from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party argued that Ben-Gvir’s confrontational rhetoric had encouraged tens of thousands of Arab citizens to vote without producing electoral gains for the Right in southern Israel. Rami, a veteran Likud activist who monitored voting in Rahat, described anger toward the minister on the streets and inside polling stations. According to Rami, Likud had previously attracted some Bedouin support, but that backing had fallen to almost nothing this time.
Likud central committee member Shimon Boker accused Ben-Gvir of damaging the national camp and increasing the Arab parties’ representation. He said agricultural crime and illegal construction required firm enforcement backed by effective policy, arguing that the minister’s provocations and pursuit of media attention had instead driven people to vote in protest.
The turnout effort in Rahat involved residents arranging buses and private vehicles to transport voters throughout Election Day. Participation exceeded Mayor Talal al-Krenawi’s target of 75%. His ambition was to turn the Negev’s potential pool of 150,000 votes into four seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Speaking after the exit polls appeared, Krenawi said: “We showed our strength.”
Residents linked their protest to Ben-Gvir’s demolition policy and public statements. They said their opposition was not directed at Netanyahu in principle, noting that he had won votes in the Negev before. Their complaint was that Ben-Gvir had pushed him toward measures against their communities and disrupted local life.
Supporters of Ben-Gvir rejected that interpretation. Roy, an activist with his Otzma Yehudit party in southern Israel, said longstanding attachment to Likud had pulled voters away from the minister’s party. He argued that some residents of outlying communities had expressed enthusiasm for Ben-Gvir but ultimately returned to Likud after Netanyahu campaigned aggressively on the importance of his party’s size.
Roy also disputed the premise that Ben-Gvir should be blamed for Bedouin citizens using their voting rights. He questioned whether Likud expected his party to retreat from law enforcement, removing illegal encroachments and tackling crime because those policies might encourage turnout.
Raed Abu al-Qi’an, a resident of Hura who had anticipated high participation, described a community feeling under siege. He accused Ben-Gvir of incitement and concentrating on home demolitions without providing solutions or alternative planning. Abu al-Qi’an said crime had persisted despite the minister’s emphasis on governance and security, while healthcare and infrastructure needs were neglected. He attributed the mobilization at the ballot box to those grievances.
