Palestinian political parties achieved record electoral success in Israel, with Arab-led Ra’am and Joint List parties securing 19 seats combined. Nearly 840,000 voters supported these parties, representing a 64 percent increase compared to 2022. If added to opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc, these seats would provide an anti-Netanyahu coalition with 67 parliamentary seats. However, the election results have triggered significant political tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party alleged the election was “stolen” through unproven claims of Qatari financing, though Qatar denied the accusations and election officials found no evidence of widespread fraud.
As coalition negotiations proceed, Palestinian political representation faces headwinds. Right-wing politician Avigdor Lieberman has rejected Palestinian partners in coalition discussions, while Eisenkot has proposed conditions for coalition membership that Palestinian parties have indicated they would find unacceptable, including recognition of Israel as a “Jewish, democratic, liberal, and egalitarian state” and mandatory national service for all citizens. Despite these obstacles, Palestinian politicians have signaled willingness to support an Eisenkot government from outside parliament, primarily to facilitate Netanyahu’s departure from office.
While political maneuvering dominated Israeli discourse, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank endured extensive military operations and restrictions. Hebron experienced particularly severe measures, with military forces sealing approximately 10 entrances, displacing roughly 5,000 residents, conducting at least 120 arrests, demolishing 13 businesses, and destroying homes. Economic losses in the city, which accounts for approximately 40 percent of Palestinian industrial output, reached between 10 million and 12 million shekels. The military subsequently withdrew from Hebron on November 2, though significant damage remained. Additional closures affected numerous other areas, including Masafer Yatta, where at least 12 villages faced restrictions and school teachers were detained.
Settler violence and military actions disrupted agricultural activities across the West Bank. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 397 settler attacks during the first 26 days of October, marking the highest monthly total since tracking began in 2006. Settlers targeted olive harvest workers while military forces declared affected areas closed military zones, resulting in lost harvests across multiple villages. International activists assisting with harvesting faced detention and deportation, and an activist’s travel authorization was revoked.
In Gaza, military operations continued at elevated levels as humanitarian conditions deteriorated. By November 2, the Ministry of Health reported 1,593 deaths since the previous ceasefire. Recent fatalities included individuals Israeli authorities claimed were militant fighters, though no evidence was provided. The humanitarian situation worsened with winter approaching, including tent fire deaths and severe shelter shortages despite official needs for approximately 200,000 tents. The Red Crescent warned that the health system faces collapse risk, with 26 hospitals having ceased operations and remaining facilities threatened by fuel shortages.
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