Why Palestinian citizens of Israel vote but cannot expect change from elections

A different election dilemma

For most Israelis, the October 27 election is framed as a contest between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opponents led by former general Gadi Eisenkot. Palestinian citizens of Israel, who account for 20 percent of the population, face a different question: whether voting can make a meaningful difference.

The article argues that the anti-Netanyahu bloc offers no clear prospect of reversing policy. It places that concern in a longer history: Palestinians who remained in the territory that became Israel received citizenship in 1952, and martial law imposed on them ended in 1966.

Land, identity and control

The Israeli state has used land confiscation and regulation of education and culture to weaken Palestinian ties to their history and collective identity, the article says. It describes efforts to promote an “Arab Israeli” identity apart from Palestinian and Arab national contexts.

The article says settlements beside Palestinian communities have expanded alongside land seizures. It traces a process it calls “recolonisation” to mixed cities such as Jaffa and Lydd, where religious-nationalist settler groups began moving into Palestinian neighbourhoods in 2021.

Security and parliamentary limits

The government has strengthened settler security squads and brought them into a wider security framework, according to the article. It says this has raised concerns about armed civilian groups exercising control and has increased the militarisation of everyday life.

Parties representing Palestinian citizens, including the United Arab List (Ra’am), led by Mansour Abbas, have argued that parliamentary participation and backing the anti-Netanyahu camp could help remove the far right and halt its agenda. The article says Ra’am’s record challenges that claim.

In 2022, Ra’am member Mazen Ghnaim said he could not advance policies benefiting Palestinians, despite his party’s place in the ruling coalition and promises that such measures would be accepted. He also described facing heavy criticism when visiting Palestinian communities.

Voting and a wider future

The article calls for a wider commitment to democratisation and de-Zionisation across historic Palestine, through alternative institutions, mechanisms and collective action. It also says Palestinian citizens’ fate is linked to that of the wider Palestinian population, a connection Palestinian political leaders must embrace.