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

Key points

• Palestinians in the occupied West Bank cannot vote in Israel's October 27 election, while 700,000 Jewish settlers can.
• About 450 people live in Jabal al-Baba, an Area C Bedouin community facing over 100 demolitions in recent years.
• Israel approved 3,401 settler homes in the E1 area in August 2025, threatening to displace 18 Bedouin communities.

In Jabal al-Baba, a Bedouin community east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, Israel controls nearly all aspects of daily life, from home building to water access and movement. Yet when Israelis vote on October 27, the roughly three million Palestinians in the West Bank will have no say in choosing the government that rules them under occupation. In contrast, about 700,000 Jewish settlers in some 300 settlements and outposts across the territory, including occupied East Jerusalem, will be able to vote.

The community of about 450 people lies in Area C, which makes up around 60 percent of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli military and civil control. Many residents raise sheep and goats near homes built from corrugated metal. Most belong to the Jahalin tribe, whose families were expelled from the Naqab (Negev) desert after the Nakba in 1948.

Demolitions and settlement expansion

Atallah al-Jahalin, the community representative, said residents face constant pressure from Israeli soldiers and settlers, along with repeated demolitions. He stated that in the past few years there have been more than 100 demolition operations in the community, forcing them to constantly rebuild their homes. Israel says it demolishes structures built without permits, which Palestinians say are almost impossible to obtain. Israeli rights group Bimkom found that authorities rejected over 99 percent of Palestinian building permit applications in Area C between 2021 and 2024.

While Palestinian development is restricted, Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, are expanding at a record pace. In April, Israel's security cabinet reportedly approved 34 new settlements in a single decision, including outposts legalised retroactively, according to the anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now. Al-Jahalin said the aim is to push his community out and make way for settlers, citing an Israeli plan to displace those living there.

They treat us like something that doesn’t exist

— Atallah al-Jahalin

Election stakes and E1 project

In the upcoming vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and its far-right coalition face a tight race against an opposition alliance united in its stated aim to "preserve and strengthen Israel as a Jewish and democratic state." The opposition has not named an official leader, but former army chief Gadi Eisenkot is seen as its most likely prime ministerial candidate. Polls show the blocs neck and neck, with neither likely to win a majority. Most opposition leaders have ruled out joining with Arab-led parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, about 20 percent of the population.

For many Palestinians, a change in government would mean little. Jamal Juma' of the Stop the Wall campaign noted that decades of occupation have taught Palestinians not to expect fundamental policy shifts, pointing out that the centre-left Labour Party began building settlements after 1967. The E1 project, which would link the Ma'ale Adumim settlement to Jerusalem and cut the West Bank in two, threatens to displace some 18 Bedouin communities, including Jabal al-Baba. In August 2025, Israel gave final approval to 3,401 settler homes in E1, which far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state. Eisenkot called advancing E1 now a mistake but supports strengthening settlements.