Palestinian turnout was heavily fueled by anxiety over figures like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as well as concrete violations like an outpost established on Majd al-Krum lands. Many voters mobilized despite historically boycotting elections to avoid granting legitimacy to state institutions. Even with this civic mobilization, parliamentary participation has proven unable to overcome the roughly 50 discriminatory laws targeting Palestinian citizens. Consequently, the vote functions primarily as a defensive mechanism rather than a catalyst for genuine reform.
Key points
Decades of parliamentary participation have failed to dismantle approximately 50 discrimi…: Decades of parliamentary participation have failed to dismantle approximately 50 discriminatory laws governing Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Many Palestinians traditionally avoid voting to prevent legitimizing state institutions,…: Many Palestinians traditionally avoid voting to prevent legitimizing state institutions, but worsening conditions have pushed some back to the polls.
Palestinian citizens continue to face severe institutional constraints that prevent elect…: Palestinian citizens continue to face severe institutional constraints that prevent electoral turnout from yielding substantive political influence.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The high Palestinian voter turnout in Israel’s election was fuelled in part by recent attempts to eliminate Palestinian political representation in the Knesset.
This is true regardless of what we think about Palestinian participation in the Israeli parliament; Israel and its allies have long used Palestinian participation to whitewash the state’s racist character and dismiss allegations of apartheid.
The existence of Palestinian parliamentary representation negates neither the apartheid regime nor the 50 discriminatory laws that govern the lives of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Palestinians in Israel went out to vote because another term under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, propped up by an alliance with far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, would have deadly consequences for Palestinians everywhere.
This includes Palestinians inside Israel, who have faced escalating political violence and incitement, growing calls for their displacement and expulsion, and increasingly aggressive efforts to harass and persecute them.
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