Likud Support Collapses in Bedouin Town as Ra'am Surges to 93%

In a dramatic political shift at the Bedouin town of Tarabin al-Sana in the Negev, the ruling Likud party saw its support collapse from nearly 59% in the 2022 elections to just 0.7% in the recent partial vote. Meanwhile, the Arab-led Ra'am party, headed by Mansour Abbas, surged to capture roughly 93% of the ballots.

Local residents attribute the massive realignment to widespread police operations in the area and repeated visits by Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir. According to the partial election results, Likud—led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—secured only four votes in Tarabin, down from 143 in the previous election. Conversely, Ra'am garnered 538 votes, translating to 92.8% of all valid ballots cast in the locality.

Voter turnout in Tarabin nearly doubled during the vote. While participation stood at approximately 38% in 2022—with 248 voters out of 650 eligible residents casting ballots—this figure jumped to roughly 74% as 582 out of 785 eligible voters headed to the polling stations, marking a surge of 36 percentage points.

Residents pointed directly to the hardline policies and heavy-handed law enforcement measures enacted under Minister Itamar Ben Gvir as the catalyst for the shift. Since taking office, Ben Gvir has visited the Bedouin town multiple times amid extensive police raids, deployment of large security forces, and occasional blockades of town entrances. The actions sparked widespread anger among local residents, many of whom had previously backed the current governing coalition.

"The Arab parties should send flowers to Minister Ben Gvir, because he is the one who delivered these votes to them," one local voter remarked. Another resident echoed the sentiment, noting that popular support shifted entirely away from Netanyahu toward Mansour Abbas in direct reaction to the security operations and perceived government targeting of the community.