Most Palestinians in the occupied West Bank see no prospects for positive changes in their lives, no matter the outcome of the parliamentary election in Israel.
Israel held its first parliamentary election on Tuesday, three years after Hamas' October 7 attacks in Israel and Israel's war on Gaza. The election pit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- Israel's longest-serving leader with nearly 19 years in office -- against former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.
The situation has changed dramatically on the ground in the West Bank since Oct 7, 2023, with Israel tightening its grip over the territory ever since.
As voting unfolded in Israel on Tuesday, a full military closure and lockdown entered its fifth day in the West Bank, with the continuous demolishing of homes in the city of Hebron, where more than 4,000 Palestinians have reportedly been forcibly displaced. Netanyahu ordered the lockdown and immediate cordoning off of Hebron on Friday, following a shooting attack that injured five Israelis.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned earlier this week that the scale of Israel's military operation in the West Bank and threats to empty or erase neighborhoods there raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing, a sentiment echoed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Whether Netanyahu clings to power with his far-right allies or his centrist rival Eisenkot comes out on top, few in the West Bank see much reason for hope in the vote.
Mahmoud Darwish is among many Palestinian residents of Ramallah who believe that Israel's occupation policies will largely remain the same, regardless of the election outcome.
"They're two sides of the same coin -- Netanyahu or anyone else, it's the same. What matters to them is their belief in the existence of the State of Israel. We are constantly bearing the blows. They find ever more ways to torment us, destroy our homes and devastate every aspect of our lives, whoever is in power," he said.
After 85.6 percent of votes were counted in Tuesday's election, the opposition parties pulled ahead, securing 67 seats in the 120-member parliament, while Netanyahu's camp won 53 seats, according to Wednesday's official results updated by the Central Elections Committee.
Palestinians in West Bank see little hope in Israeli vote
