Israel’s 2 million Palestinian voters face a Tuesday dilemma
With elections set for today, many question if their vote matters as new settlement plans target their communities.
By Karan Grant ·
Two million people, or 20 percent of Israel’s population, go to the polls today.
These are Palestinian citizens of Israel, and they face a specific problem with the October 27 election. The race is mostly about whether Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power or if former general Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition. But for these voters, the choice does not look like a simple switch between two similar groups.
The political center in Israel has moved sharply to the far right. This shift brings new pressures on Palestinian communities. Settlers are moving into areas where Palestinians have lived for generations. Police are using more military tools in daily life. Many Palestinians feel that voting for the anti-Netanyahu group will not fix these issues.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a plan in August to change the demographics of the Naqab and northern Israel. His plan calls for adding one million Jewish residents to these regions. It includes building 40 new settlements and hundreds of thousands of new housing units. The goal is to extend the control model used in the West Bank into areas where Palestinians live.
Security changes are also on the table. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the National Security Minister, created a National Guard. This force was inspired by the 2021 protests in cities like Haifa and Lydd. Ben-Gvir has also issued 300,000 gun licenses since taking office. These steps make armed civilian groups a bigger part of local policing.
Many Palestinians look at the record of the United Arab List, or Ra’am, for clues. Ra’am led by Mansour Abbas, joined the government in 2021 to stop Netanyahu. They promised to improve conditions for Palestinians. But by 2022, member Mazen Ghnaim admitted he could not push through those policies. The coalition fell apart without fixing the basic problems Palestinian citizens face.
This history makes today’s vote feel difficult. Some voters think four more years of far-right rule would be dangerous for their rights. Others feel that voting for the opposition has not changed anything in the past. The decision is personal and political for many families in Israel’s Arab towns.
The election takes place against a backdrop of long-standing tensions. Since 1948, Palestinian citizens have held Israeli passports but often face different treatment in housing and education. The state has used laws to manage their identity. Today, they must decide if their ballot paper can help slow down these changes.
Source: Al Jazeera
