Palestinian citizens of Israel can vote but doubt election will bring change
Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up 20% of the population, can vote on Oct. 27 but question whether the election will reverse systemic discrimination, land seizures, and rising violence they face.
At a glance
- Palestinian citizens of Israel (20% of population) can vote on Oct. 27 but doubt the election will reverse systemic discrimination, land seizures, and rising violence.
- The anti‑Netanyahu bloc offers no clear policy reversal; settlers expand, land seizures accelerate, and violence from criminal networks escalates.
- Ra'am’s 2021 coalition participation failed to improve conditions, highlighting limits of parliamentary politics for Palestinian citizens.
**Palestinian citizens of Israel face limited impact from upcoming election**
The general election on October 27 pits Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against an anti‑Netanyahu bloc led by former general Gadi Eisenkot. For Israel’s Palestinian citizens, who constitute about one‑fifth of the population, the vote presents a different dilemma. While they retain the right to vote and participate in politics, many doubt that the outcome will alter the structural challenges they confront.
Growing threats to Palestinian communities
In recent years, Palestinian citizens have seen increased violence, encroachment by settlers, and a push to expand policing and militarisation of civilian life. Land confiscation, restrictive education policies, and cultural regulation aim to detach Palestinians from their historical roots, promoting an “Arab Israeli” identity separate from Palestinian nationalism. Discriminatory laws, underfunded services, and socioeconomic marginalisation persist, and the state has outsourced brutality to criminal networks, resulting in hundreds of deaths from shootings, bombings and arson. Organised crime groups now possess advanced weapons stolen from army stocks, further militarising the threat.
Israeli settlements near Palestinian towns have expanded, a process dubbed “recolonisation” that began in mixed cities such as Jaffa and Lydd in 2021 and accelerated after October 2023. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s plan to “Judaise” the Naqab and northern Israel proposes adding one million Jewish residents, 40 new settlements, dozens of farms, and hundreds of thousands of housing units, extending territorial control into areas where Palestinian communities are concentrated.
The National Guard, proposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir after the 2021 Dignity Uprising, may increasingly police Palestinian towns. Ben‑Gvir has also issued 300,000 gun licences and strengthened settler security squads, normalising civilian policing and deepening militarisation.
Failed coalition efforts
Parties representing Palestinian citizens, such as the United Arab List (Ra’am) led by Mansour Abbas, have argued that joining the anti‑Netanyahu camp could curb the far right. Ra’am entered the 2021 coalition government that excluded Netanyahu, but the arrangement failed to deliver fundamental improvements. Mazen Ghnaim, a Ra’am member, admitted in 2022 that he could not push beneficial policies despite promises, citing heavy criticism from Palestinian communities.
Pathways for change
The author will vote to prevent an immediate threat from another far‑right term but stresses that electoral participation must be paired with more radical political responses. This includes reforming the High Follow‑Up Committee for Arab Citizens, strengthening grassroots organising, and pursuing broader democratisation and de‑Zionisation across historic Palestine.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What challenges do Palestinian citizens of Israel face in the upcoming election?
- They can vote but face systemic discrimination, land confiscation, settlement expansion, increased violence, and limited political influence, leading many to doubt the election’s impact.
- Why did Ra'am’s participation in the 2021 coalition not bring change for Palestinian citizens?
- Despite joining the anti‑Netanyahu government, Ra'am could not push policies benefiting Palestinians due to ideological contradictions and resistance from other coalition parties.
- How is the Israeli government increasing militarisation in Palestinian communities?
- Through expanded policing, the National Guard’s potential deployment, issuance of 300,000 gun licences, and integration of settler security squads, alongside land seizures and settlement growth.
