With over 76% of ballots counted, pro-Netanyahu bloc at 54 seats

The Times of Israel gives partial election results from the Central Elections Committee and says plainly that they will change. In its own voice it calls the Joint List and Ra'am 'Arab parties' and 'Arab-led parties' and never uses the word Palestinian. A reader is not told that these are parties of Palestinian citizens of Israel.

1. Erases a people's national identity

   Serious

   “Arab parties increase to 19”

   Why this matters

   In the entry's sub-headline, the outlet uses 'Arab parties' in its own voice to name the parties that won 19 seats. It gives no national identity for them or for the citizens they represent.

   The impression it gives

   A reader takes these as parties of an Arab minority inside Israel, cut off from the Palestinian people.

   The context

   Our editorial cites Sammy Smooha's 2019 survey of Arab citizens of Israel, in which 61.9% chose a self-description containing Palestinian. That is historical survey evidence, not proof of every voter's identity. Arab and Palestinian identity coexist, but the article never uses the word Palestinian anywhere.

   How we know

   • Our analysis“61.9% chose a description of themselves that included Palestinian.”Palestinian citizens of Israel voted in record numbers
   • On the recordIn Sammy Smooha's April-June 2019 survey of 718 adult Arab citizens of Israel, including Druze and Bedouin, 61.9% chose a self-description containing Palestinian. This is historical survey evidence, not a 2026 percentage or proof of any individual's identity. Arab and Palestinian identities can coexist.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
   • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “Palestinian”.

   Show it in the article

   “The Arab-led parties”

   Why this matters

   In the body, the outlet repeats an Arab-only label, 'The Arab-led parties', when it names the Joint List and Ra'am. The official party names are not the problem. The problem is the outlet's own label for who leads them.

   The impression it gives

   The one line describing these parties confirms that their leaders and voters are simply 'Arab', with no link to Palestinians.

   The context

   Supplied survey evidence shows that most Arab citizens of Israel surveyed described themselves with a term including Palestinian. The article could have kept 'Arab' and still named them as Palestinian citizens of Israel, but it does not.

   How we know

   • On the recordIn Sammy Smooha's April-June 2019 survey of 718 adult Arab citizens of Israel, including Druze and Bedouin, 61.9% chose a self-description containing Palestinian. This is historical survey evidence, not a 2026 percentage or proof of any individual's identity. Arab and Palestinian identities can coexist.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
   • Our analysis“In Sammy Smooha's 2019 survey of 718 adult Arab citizens of Israel”Palestinian citizens of Israel voted in record numbers

   Show it in the article