Palestinian voters in Israel face record deaths and high stakes
Two million citizens go to the polls Tuesday, with their blocs projected to hold enough seats to shape the next government.
By Nicholas James ·
Palestinian citizens of Israel will vote in national elections on Tuesday, October 28. These voters represent roughly one-fifth of the country's total population of 10 million. They are descendants of Palestinians who remained within Israel's borders after the 1948 war. The community now numbers about two million people, living primarily in the Galilee, the Triangle region, and the Naqab desert.
The community faces a sharp rise in violence. In 2025, 252 Palestinian citizens were killed, marking the deadliest year on record. This figure follows 244 deaths in 2023 and 116 in 2022. The Abraham Initiatives, an Israeli civil society organization, reports that police solved fewer than 15 percent of homicide cases in Palestinian communities. In contrast, police solved about 65 percent of cases involving Jewish victims.
Legal discrimination remains a central issue for voters. The legal center Adalah states that more than 65 Israeli laws enacted since 1948 explicitly or implicitly disadvantage Palestinians. These laws cover land ownership, housing, and family reunification. A 2011 law allows admissions committees in certain towns to reject applicants based on community character. In 2018, the Knesset passed the Nation-State Law, which grants national self-determination exclusively to the Jewish people and downgrades Arabic to a special status.
Political alliances are positioned to influence the outcome of this election. Hadash, Balad, and Ta’al have reunited under the Joint List banner. Ra’am is running as a separate party. Projections suggest these two groups will win between 18 and 20 seats in the Knesset. This total could make them decisive players in coalition negotiations, as previous partnerships have helped break long-standing political taboos.
The current political landscape follows a period of internal division within the Joint List. The alliance previously won 15 seats in the 2020 election but fractured over internal disagreements. Ra’am broke from the group to join the governing coalition in 2021, helping end Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister. Now, with the parties split into two distinct electoral blocs, their combined strength remains a key factor in forming the next government.
Source: Middle East Eye
