"The moment is crucial and more dangerous than ever. We must vote." The slogan is repeated, in a more or less identical way, in the mouths of several candidates, before the attentive gaze of dozens of inhabitants of the Arab town of Abu Gosh, who listen to their proposals while drinking coffee and sweets as the afternoon falls.
There are three days left until the legislative elections in Israel and the feeling is of urgency and that every vote counts. “We have two objectives: to overthrow the current Government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pave the way for a less bad alternative,” Ahmad Tibi, a member of the Israeli Parliament for more than 25 years and leader of the Arab Ta'al party, tells EL PAÍS.
Palestinians with Israeli nationality, descendants of those who remained within the borders drawn after the creation of the State in 1948, today represent just under 20% of the population. In Tuesday's elections, the Arab parties present two separate lists: the so-called Joint List (alliance of the Ta'al, Balad and Hadash parties), which would obtain about nine seats, and the Islamist Raam formation, led by Mansur Abbas, which would obtain five, out of a total of 120. Their votes will be crucial to ensuring that the far-right coalition led by Netanyahu fails to have the necessary seats to continue governing.
"Netanyahu must leave now. He and his ministers Bezalel Smotrich or Itamar Ben Gvir are criminals who will one day have to be tried. For now I trust that they will be punished at the polls," says Tibi. The 67-year-old experienced deputy insists that the goal is to get at least 70% of Israel's Palestinian voters to vote. "These days we were around 63-64%. I'm optimistic," he says.
To vote or not to vote. It is the great topic of conversation among those attending this rally in a schoolyard in Abu Gosh, an Israeli Arab town with about 8,500 inhabitants, located about 10 kilometers from Jerusalem. The town is known for having remained neutral during the first Arab-Israeli war of 1948, which prevented it from being destroyed.
“I consider myself more Israeli than Palestinian,” says Munir, a 35-year-old computer scientist, expressing a sentiment shared by a large part of the inhabitants of Abu Gosh. "But for three years, our life has been much more difficult because the Israeli Government repudiates everything Arab. I will go to vote because this has to change," he adds.
Following the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, Palestinian citizens of Israel have felt their freedom of expression restricted and racist attacks and general distrust towards them increased. The main political parties, whether with or against Netanyahu, have made it clear that they do not want to have Arab parties as political partners, although ultimately they would all need their support since it will be very difficult for them to be able to gather a majority of seats to govern. Gadi Einzenkot, Netanyahu's great rival on Tuesday, when his Yashar party will probably have the most votes, aspires to form a "Zionist majority" coalition and has assured that the Arab parties do not meet the conditions to be able to negotiate with them, for example recognizing Israel as a "Jewish" State or classifying Hamas as a terrorist organization. In this context, if the Palestinian population of Israel participates in Tuesday's elections, would they not be legitimizing a system that excludes them? The question is in the air in Abu Gosh.
"You have to vote. I think that the majority of Palestinian citizens of Israel, but also many Jews on the left, understand that elections are very dangerous because if these fascists, because that is what they are, win again, it is the end of the Palestinian people and of Israel as a country," Jewish deputy Ofer Cassif, of the Hadash party, assures EL PAÍS. "I think that in Israel we are like in Spain in 1936, before the start of the civil war. We live in a moment of great danger," he adds.
The objective of the Joint List is not to be part of an Israeli Government, something that would also be highly unlikely, but to have weight and decision-making power. “Bibi or Tibi,” repeats a campaign slogan of Likud, Netanyahu's party, referring to the nickname Israelis give to the prime minister. “Right or Palestine,” says another.
"I have been the object of ridicule, threats, racist comments, and provocations by these right-wing governments for more than 20 years. These slogans mean, in the end, either Jews or Arabs. But we are citizens just as legitimate as them, no matter what. I hope that next Tuesday the answer will be Tibi," says the Arab deputy.
Areen Hawari, a university professor born in Nazareth, believes that Palestinians in Israel will go to the polls en masse, but mainly motivated by fear. "Because it is very difficult to have hope right now. People are frustrated and live in fear. Palestinians with Israeli nationality feel great oppression and growing racism, especially since October 7, 2023," he says, after the Abu Gosh rally.
In September, Israel's Central Electoral Committee vetoed the participation of the two Arab lists in the elections, arguing that they reject the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and that they support armed struggle. The decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court, which did uphold the disqualification of Sami Abu Shehada, president of Balad.
The decision was widely criticized because it establishes different criteria regarding freedom of expression for Jewish and Palestinian citizens. Especially at a time when ministers of the government coalition, such as Itamar Ben Gvir or Bezalel Smotrich, are subject to international sanctions for their statements against the Palestinians.
“We would like to express our solidarity with our brothers in Gaza and we cannot raise our voice in the face of the ethnic cleansing that is being carried out in the West Bank and we cannot do so for fear of the consequences,” says Nadia Abu Sameer, a neighbor of Abu Gosh.
"In reality we are the only opposition force. Even the Democrats party voted in favor of disqualifying Abu Shehada. What left is that? But to change things we need more power," says Cassif.
The leader of Ra'am, Mansur Abbas, did join a historic coalition government in 2021 with Naftali Bennett, who now opposes Netanyahu. “Either you are at the table or you stay on the sidelines,” the Arab leader has repeated, pragmatically, during the campaign. Abbas has focused on the urgent needs of Israel's Palestinian community, especially the fight against organized crime. In 2025, 241 homicides were recorded among Israel's Arab communities, compared to 47 among the Jewish population, according to official figures.
