Israel election: Palestinian citizens weigh fear against disillusionment as Arab parties may hold balance

A difficult choice at the ballot box

Laila Atamneh, 19, from Beit Hanina, recalls her parents debating each election. She said she votes because she hopes it may offer people some measure of representation, despite doubting that one vote can achieve much.

Hanan, a 36-year-old Palestinian Christian from a Druze village in the Galilee, also feels conflicted. She has considered staying home because she believes Arab representatives do little and wants more women and new voices in politics, but said she ultimately votes in the hope that it might help. Hanan said voting can feel like accepting Israel’s existence, but added that the country is already there and people cannot remain “all dreamy.”

Turnout could shift the contest

Palestinian citizens make up about a fifth of Israel’s population. Their turnout across the past five elections ranged from roughly 45 to 65 percent, with about 53 percent voting in 2022.

A Palestinian campaign operative said surveys estimate that about 62 percent plan to vote next week. The campaign’s target is 70 to 75 percent, a level last reached in 1999, when turnout of 75 percent helped Ehud Barak defeat Netanyahu. The operative said a higher turnout could prevent smaller right-wing parties, including Amcha Yisrael and The Reservists, from crossing the 3.25 percent threshold, potentially changing the balance of power.

Arab parties face political barriers

Opinion polls suggest neither Netanyahu’s far-right-led bloc nor the opposition alliance can govern without Ra’am and the Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Balad and Ta’al. Yet opposition leader Naftali Bennett has said he would not rely on Arab parties because they are not Zionist.

On September 23, the Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify Ra’am and the Joint List, but the Supreme Court overturned those decisions. Balad’s Sami Abu Shehadeh later withdrew his candidacy after the court indicated most justices backed upholding his disqualification.

Netanyahu has used Gadi Eisenkot’s refusal to partner with Arab parties in campaign messaging, invoking Ta’al leader Ahmad Tibi. The article also says Bedouin citizens are expected largely to support Ra’am, but its account ends before explaining their reasons.

Fears over rights and land

For many Palestinian citizens, the election reflects growing concern over pressure on Palestinian rights, livelihoods and land. Hanan said fear that settlers could take more Palestinian land has made her more determined to vote and encourage others to do so.

Atamneh described feeling torn between participating and the humiliation she believes Palestinians experience within the political system. She said she wants to give people hope, even if only by a small amount.

The article describes Netanyahu as having overseen Israel’s war in Gaza since 2023 and says the current government is the most hard-right in Israel’s history. If no one forms a majority in the Knesset’s 120 seats, another election would leave that government in place until then.