Palestinian Citizens of Israel Mobilize at Ballots amid Growing Right-Wing Pressure

KUFR QASIM, Israel — Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out to vote in high numbers following years of political alienation, seeking to counter marginalization and protect their fundamental rights amid mounting pressure from the nation’s right-wing leadership.

At a park in Kufr Qasim, hundreds gathered two days after the vote for the annual commemoration of residents killed by Israeli border police in 1956 during the opening of the Suez Crisis. The gathering reflected a community grappling with both historical grief and present hardship, including rising discrimination inside Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, the war in Gaza that has killed over 74,000 Palestinians, and escalating violence by armed settlers against communities in the occupied West Bank.

Gathered under an olive tree in Kufr Qasim, 65-year-old Intisar Sarsur described the urgency that drove her community to the polling stations. “There’s no freedom anymore,” Sarsur said. “We are seeking for our basic rights as human beings.” She added that civic participation among her peers was overwhelming: “Everybody that I know participated in the elections. Not one person stayed home.”

For many, the vote represented a vital defense against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies. Mansour Shaaban, 33, voted for the first time in his life. Attending the 1956 memorial, Shaaban noted that while everyday relations with Jewish neighbors persist, current political leaders are dismantling those bridges. He said Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir “are making it impossible to co-exist.”

Right-Wing Pushback and Election Disputes

The surge in Arab turnout drew an immediate reaction from right-wing leaders during and after the election. On polling day, Ben Gvir filmed a video message directly outside Kufr Qasim urging right-wing supporters to turn out, declaring: “If you want this country to remain Jewish and Zionist … then get out and vote!” Netanyahu also posted a video message framing the high Arab voter mobilization as an emergency.

Following the vote, Netanyahu’s Likud party made unproven allegations that Arab parties had stolen the election through forgery, bribery, and threats, warning of the “Islamization of Israel.” Likud produced no public evidence for the claims. Israeli police confirmed they found no basis for fraud allegations, and election officials affirmed there was no evidence of widespread irregularities.

While the elections committee chief asked the Shin Bet security service to look into potential foreign funding aimed at raising Arab voter turnout, both he and Israel’s attorney general affirmed that the election was conducted properly and its results remain entirely valid.

Navigating Political Alliances

The election outcome leaves political figures facing complex dynamics. The Joint List alliance secured 11 of the 19 seats won by Arab-led parties, while the conservative Islamist Ra’am party campaigned on entering a ruling coalition, even placing a Jewish former police officer second on its candidate list.

However, Joint List leaders have declined to formally join a government headed by political figures like former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, citing the ongoing war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank. Eisenkot, whose son died fighting in Gaza, previously served in Netanyahu’s war cabinet and formulated the “Dahiyeh doctrine” in 2008, which called for using disproportionate force against launch sites in enemy villages. Joint List officials indicated they might support such a government from outside the coalition without taking formal cabinet roles.