‘Like we don’t exist’: Palestinians in West Bank denied say in Israel vote

Jabal al-Baba, occupied West Bank – In Jabal al-Baba, a tiny Bedouin assemblage eastbound of Jerusalem, Israel controls astir each facet of Palestinians’ regular life, from gathering homes and accessing h2o to moving freely.

Yet erstwhile Israelis head to the polls connected October 27, the immense bulk of the astir 3 cardinal Palestinians successful the occupied West Bank volition person nary accidental successful choosing the authorities that rules their lives nether concern – dissimilar the 700,000 Jewish settlers surviving successful immoderate 300 amerciable settlements and outposts crossed the territory, including occupied East Jerusalem.

“They dainty america similar thing that doesn’t exist,” said Atallah al-Jahalin, Jabal al-Baba’s assemblage representative.

“You don’t person the close to vote. You don’t person the rights that you would person successful a antiauthoritarian state.”

About 450 radical unrecorded successful Jabal al-Baba, a assemblage successful Area C, which makes up astir 60 percent of the occupied West Bank and remains nether afloat Israeli subject and civilian control.

Many residents present rise sheep and goats beside homes made from corrugated metal. Most beryllium to the Jahalin tribe, whose families were expelled from the Naqab (Negev) godforsaken portion by Israeli authorities successful the years aft the Nakba, the convulsive taste cleansing of Palestine by Zionist militias successful 1948.

“You are forbidden from gathering a house. You are forbidden from gathering a street. You are forbidden from gathering a school,” said al-Jahalin. “Everything is forbidden to us.”

Residents look changeless unit from Israeli soldiers and settlers, al-Jahalin said, connected apical of repeated demolitions.

“In the past fewer years, we person had much than 100 demolition operations successful our community,” helium said. “We were perpetually rebuilding our homes.”

Israel says it demolishes Palestinian structures built without permits, which are astir intolerable for Palestinians to obtain. Israeli rights radical Bimkom recovered authorities rejected much than 99 percent of Palestinian gathering licence applications successful Area C betwixt 2021 and 2024.

While Palestinians are restricted from developing, Israeli settlements, which are amerciable nether planetary law, are expanding astatine a grounds pace. In April, Israel’s information furniture was reported to person approved 34 caller settlements successful a azygous decision, including outposts legalised retroactively, according to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group.

For al-Jahalin, the purpose is clear: to propulsion his assemblage retired and marque mode for settlers.

“There is an Israeli program to displace the radical who are here,” helium said. “All of this is simply a means of pressure. We person to permission these areas for the payment of the colony projects.”

The amerciable Israeli colony of Ma’ale Adumim successful the occupied West Bank, viewed from the Bedouin colony of Jabal al-Baba, which faces the menace of forcible displacement arsenic plans to grow settlements successful the E1 country determination guardant [Leila Warah/Al Jazeera]

E1 exposes limits of authorities change

In this month’s vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and the far-right conjugation it leads look a choky contention against an absorption confederation consisting of an assortment of parties that are agreed successful their stated purpose to “preserve and fortify Israel arsenic a Jewish and antiauthoritarian state”.

The absorption grouping has not declared an authoritative leader, but erstwhile service main Gadi Eisenkot, of the centrist Yashar party, is seen arsenic its astir apt campaigner for premier minister.

Recent polls bespeak the 2 blocs are moving cervix and neck, with neither broadside appearing connected people to triumph a majority. Most leaders of the Jewish-led absorption bloc, meanwhile, person ruled retired joining forces with the Arab-led parties that correspond the Palestinian citizens of Israel who marque up astir 20 percent of its population.

But for galore Palestinians, a alteration astatine the apical would mean little.

Jamal Juma’, coordinator of the grassroots Stop the Wall campaign, said decades of concern person taught Palestinians not to expect a caller authorities to displacement cardinal Israeli policies. He pointed retired that it was Israel’s centre-left Labour Party – and not the close – that began gathering settlements successful the West Bank aft 1967.

For Jabal al-Baba, the clearest trial of what a alteration successful authorities would mean is E1, a portion of onshore betwixt Jerusalem and the amerciable colony of Ma’ale Adumim, wherever the assemblage sits.

The E1 task would nexus the colony to Jerusalem, cutting the West Bank successful 2 and threatening the forced displacement of immoderate 18 Bedouin communities, including Jabal al-Baba.

In August 2025, Israel gave last approval to 3,401 settler homes successful E1, which far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said would “bury” the thought of a Palestinian state. A period later, Netanyahu vowed “there volition beryllium nary Palestinian state. This spot belongs to us.”

This year, the authorities enactment the onshore up for merchantability successful 2 tenders, timed to beforehand earlier the election. Israel’s lawyer wide has since moved to hold parts of the process until aft the vote, and Smotrich is challenging that successful court.

In the lead-up to the election, Eisenkot rejected the thought of a Palestinian authorities arsenic “delusional” portion besides expressing enactment for “strengthening” settlements. But asked astir the E1 tenders successful August, helium said: “Not now.” He called advancing the task a mistake with an planetary cost, and said far-right ministers and settler unit were damaging Israel’s lasting abroad.

That puts him astatine likelihood with the existent authorities implicit the timing of E1 – but not implicit the thought of settling the West Bank.

“There whitethorn beryllium a democracy, but lone for Jewish people,” said Kareem Jubran, tract probe manager astatine Israeli rights radical B’Tselem, which describes Israel’s regularisation implicit Palestinians arsenic apartheid.

“Even if the governments change, the strategy remains,” helium said. “If the near exists, it is simply a Zionist left. It is not precise influential successful Israeli governmental life.”

In Jabal al-Baba, wherever colony enlargement threatens the community’s future, al-Jahalin has reached a akin conclusion.

“It whitethorn beryllium Eisenkot, it whitethorn beryllium Netanyahu,” helium said. “Israeli argumentation is already connected the table. It doesn’t substance who carries it out.”

A run billboard for Israeli person Gadi Eisenkot stands astatine the entranceway to an Israeli colony successful the occupied West Bank [Leila Warah/Al Jazeera]

A strategy nary predetermination volition dismantle

Whoever forms Israel’s adjacent authorities volition proceed to workout decisive powerfulness implicit the lives of Palestinians successful the West Bank, which was divided into 3 areas – A, B and C – arsenic portion of the Oslo Accords successful the 1990s.

Israel’s power is astir nonstop successful Area C, but its restrictions scope crossed the West Bank.

“The Israelis are controlling everything successful the West Bank, each azygous thing,” said Juma’, of the Stop the Wall campaign, citing Israel’s power of the question betwixt Palestinian cities and villages, arsenic good arsenic entree to h2o and energy and the territory’s borders.

“Every metropolis and each village, they person constructed a gross astatine the entrance,” helium added.

Juma’ besides warned that continued fragmentation could crook the West Bank into isolated enclaves, cutting Palestinian communities disconnected from 1 another.

“It volition beryllium similar unfastened prisons, similar Gaza,” helium said. “But present we person antithetic Gazas.”

Jubran, of B’Tselem, said stopping that trajectory depends connected planetary pressure, not the result of Israel’s election.

“If the planetary assemblage were determined to instrumentality applicable steps to halt the E1 project, it could,” helium said. “As agelong arsenic it is not, E1 volition spell ahead.”

Back successful Jabal al-Baba, the menace of renewed forcible displacement is looming large.

Al-Jahalin said his household was expelled from the Naqab erstwhile already – but helium volition not permission again.

“I americium not acceptable to unrecorded the beingness of my father,” helium said. “I, arsenic a Palestinian, volition stay, whether I dice oregon unrecorded connected this Earth.”