In the October 27 Israeli elections, 38 parties ran for office.
asserted
parties → run → office
Of these, only two supported peace, equality and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.
asserted
two → support → territories
Both were “Arab parties” – made up of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
asserted
Both → make → Israel
These two parties earned a historic result, securing 19 seats in the Knesset, after some 80 percent of Palestinian citizens cast a vote.
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percent → earn → vote
This unprecedented turnout contributed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to secure a majority.
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turnout → contribute → majority
His bloc won 53 seats, while the Jewish-led opposition won 48.
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opposition → win → 48
The electoral mobilisation of Palestinians was immediately spun as a threat and Palestinian communities now face intensified incitement by members of Netanyahu’s camp.
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communities → spin → camp
The pro-Netanyahu camp has alleged that the election was “stolen” and is now calling for restrictions on the “Arab vote”.
asserted
election → allege → vote
Thus, Palestinian electoral success exposed an uncomfortable question for Israeli politics: what happens when citizens who are informally isolated on the political scene but whose vote is formally equal become powerful enough to determine who governs?
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who → expose → scene
Palestinian citizens face a fundamental question: Can they truly determine the political outcome and if they can, does that make them equal citizens?
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them → face → citizens
Formal inclusion, informal exclusion
Palestinian citizens of Israel have long faced a dilemma over voting.
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citizens → face → voting
If they do not mobilise to vote, the risk is that the Jewish right would come to power is high.
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right → mobilise → power
If they do vote, there is no guarantee that their participation would translate into policies that protect or benefit their communities.
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that → vote → communities
In 1999, Arab turnout reached approximately 75 percent in the elections and Palestinian citizens overwhelmingly supported Ehud Barak of the Labour Party against Netanyahu.
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citizens → reach → Netanyahu
A year later, after Ariel Sharon’s visit to Al-Aqsa compound and the outbreak of the second Intifada, Israeli police killed 13 Palestinian citizens.
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police → kill → citizens
Outrage and disillusionment contributed to an Arab boycott of the 2001 election, when turnout fell to about 19 percent.
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turnout → contribute → percent
Sharon won.
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Sharon → win → ?
Today, Palestinian electoral participation still retains its sway.
asserted
participation → retain → sway
Higher turnout among Palestinians means fewer seats for two main blocs – the pro- and anti-Netanyahu camps – which could tip the balance in the Knesset.
uncertain
which → mean → Knesset
This is what happened on October 27 .
asserted
what → happen → October
But this potentially powerful position of the Palestinian parties has been diminished by the refusal of Jewish-led parties to work with them on government formation.
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position → diminish → formation
The logic of this exclusion was made clear in April 2021, when far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich rejected Netanyahu’s attempt to establish a government supported by one of the Palestinian parties, Ra’am.
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Smotrich → make → parties
Smotrich argued that doing so would encourage greater Palestinian turnout which would allow the Palestinian community to enable the return of the left to power in Israel.
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community → argue → Israel
Accepting Palestinian parties would therefore challenge the Jewish right’s political dominance.
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Accepting → accept → dominance
Ra’am eventually joined the short-lived coalition government formed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, without making any national demands, but its participation came at the cost of significant concessions on national issues.
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participation → join → issues
For the first time, Palestinian political leaders recognised Israel as a Jewish state and were even willing to set aside the national question in favour of addressing civil and socioeconomic issues.
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leaders → recognise → issues
Despite these concessions, the Bennett–Lapid government ultimately collapsed following the resignation of two coalition members who opposed sitting in a government alongside Palestinian representatives.
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who → collapse → representatives
Netanyahu then realised that to prevent the formation of any future government of change, he needed to delegitimise the Palestinian parties and limit their political representation.
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he → realise → representation
Following October 7, 2023, Palestinian citizens experienced a sharp contraction of political space.
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citizens → follow → space
Students faced disciplinary proceedings over social-media posts; employees lost jobs; antiwar speech prompted police investigations and arrests.
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speech → face → investigations
The electoral process itself reflected this climate.
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process → reflect → climate
Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify both Palestinian electoral lists, along with lawmaker Ofer Cassif and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh.
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Committee → vote → Cassif
The Supreme Court eventually reversed the bans on the lists.
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Court → reverse → lists
Meanwhile, attacking Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, became a political staple.
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attacking → attack → Israel
Ahead of this election, media outlet Arabic Post conducted an analysis of more than 10,000 election-related social-media items.
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Post → conduct → items
It reported that 40 percent of posts by candidates from Netanyahu’s camp concerned Arabs or Palestinians, and that 94 percent of those were hostile.
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percent → report → those
More troubling were the police raids on the homes of Ra’am activists in the Negev, following suspicions of electoral bribery which led to the arrest of three men.
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which → follow → men
Police acknowledged searches without warrants and later reports questioned the strength of the evidence.
asserted
reports → acknowledge → evidence
All three men were released.
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men → release → ?
But the ripple effect of those allegations helped shape a narrative of suspicion against the Palestinian community.
asserted
effect → help → community
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
