The old arguments over political participation haven't disappeared. But as expectations collapse, voting is becoming less a strategy for change than an act of self-defenseHanin Majadli01:02 AM • September 09 2026 IDTFor many years there has been a political and ideological debate among Palestinian society in Israel around the issue of participation in Knesset elections. Some people viewed voting as a necessary tool for our struggle, albeit a limited one. Others saw it as cooperation with a system that a priori does not want to offer Palestinians true equality. This debate has remained unsettled. It simply lost some of its standing after October 7.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:PalestiniansJews and ArabsIsraeli politicsIsraeli electionsArab IsraelisIsrael-Gaza WarOctober 7Mansour AbbasCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesNetanyahu October 7U.K. sanctionsIran-U.S.EisenkotPISABen-GvirGazaIsrael ElectionHaQuizHaaretz PodcastNetanyahu Tries to Run From Oct. 7, Making His Culpability a Key Election IssueIran Launches Heavy Overnight Attacks on Ships in Gulf, Missiles at JordanU.K. Heralds New Reality That Won't End With NetanyahuNetanyahu's Likud Party Files Knesset Slate, Includes PM's Handpicked CandidatesFor Israel's Arab Voters, This Election Isn't About Hope. It's About FearRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMINetanyahu Got an Explicit Warning Before Oct. 7. He Didn't Brief Security Chiefs'Piece of Shit': U.S. Senator Urges Ben-Gvir Ban After Emaciated Prisoner VideoThink Bibi Is Bad? Meet Sara NetanyahuIMDb Replaces the Name Israel With 'The Occupied Palestinian Territories'Water Crisis Triggered by Gaza's Ruin: Israel Is Paying the Price of DestructionWhat Did Netanyahu Really Do on the Morning of October 7?