'Our fate will be decided in Jerusalem, not Ramallah': Palestinians look ahead to Israeli elections

SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 14:48Updated: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 15:43A little over a month before Israelis head to the polls, Palestinians in the West Bank are watching the Israeli elections with keen anticipation.Some Palestinians even describe the Israeli vote as decisive for their future, stressing that the upcoming elections in Israel at the end of October matter to them more than their own scheduled elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has announced for November 28.Ibrahim Za'oul, a Palestinian contractor from the village of Husan west of Bethlehem who employs local workers, said the outcome of Israel’s elections is critical for tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has barred West Bank workers from entering the country for work, except for a limited number employed in sectors considered essential."Everyone wants to return to their jobs in Israel and support their families," Za'oul said. "People hope a new government might change the current policy and let them earn a living as before," he explained.He told The Jerusalem Post that many Palestinians laborers believe the work ban could still be reversed. "For us, politics isn’t the issue. What people care about is their living conditions; they want to live with dignity,” Za'oul said.Israeli soldiers clash with Palestinians as they hold Friday prayers during a protest against Israeli settlement expansion and land confiscation near Bethlehem in the West Bank, July 3, 2026. (credit: WISAM HASHLAMOUN/FLASH90)Elections open a gate for PalestiniansThe Israeli elections, he said, offer a potential opening for change.He also pointed out that some Israeli employers want Palestinian workers to return, and that many have been unable to find jobs in the West Bank and have been struggling to meet basic needs. "No one wants to keep living like this," Zaoul said.Others echoed his view, stressing that the makeup of the next Israeli government is important because it could signal what Israeli policies might be, which will affect their daily lives amid ongoing hardship."Our fate will be decided in Jerusalem, not Ramallah,” said a Palestinian PA employee who has worked in the public sector for more than three decades.The employee, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said he believes that the way to change the daily lives of Palestinians depends on the outcome of the Israeli elections and who forms the next government."The economic situation isn’t good. Public sector employees are paid only about half of their salaries, or sometimes a bit more," he said. "This has been going on for years and has become almost normal, but it’s not normal.""This is the result of Israel withholding Palestinian revenues and refusing to release them, so the PA doesn’t have the financial resources to pay full salaries,” he said, adding that many households can hardly cover their monthly expenses and are facing increasing financial pressure.The PA employee said he does not expect any new Israeli government to engage in talks with Palestinians or pursue statehood, but hopes for a government that will show greater flexibility. "People care much less about political solutions today; they need answers to escalating economic difficulties," he explained."We know that even if the Ben Gvir-Smotrich government is replaced, the next government will not negotiate with Palestinians or grant us a state, but it might at least act more reasonably," he told the Post.“We need financial resources to live. The far-right Israeli government, with ministers like Smotrich, seeks the collapse of the PA and is indifferent to the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank. Maybe with a different government, things could look a bit different.”Under Israeli law, Israel deducts from the tax revenues it transfers to the PA an amount equal to the allowances paid by the PA to Palestinian prisoners who committed terror attacks against Israelis. These deductions, together with falling foreign aid, have created a financial shortfall for the PA, resulting in only partial salary payments, usually between 50 and 70 percent, for public sector employees.Any other government will be easier to deal withThe Palestinian public sector employee argued that "any future government, other than one led by the far-right Smotrich, might at least be easier to deal with."This perspective was also shared by other Palestinians, who expressed concern about ongoing violence by radical Israelis against Palestinians and their property across the West Bank. They said they do not see any effective measures to stop these incidents, which leaves many farmers and ordinary residents feeling increasingly insecure.They said they believe the Smotrich-Ben-Gvir government aims to drive Palestinians from their land, adding that the outcome of the Israeli elections could help prevent further escalation if steps are taken to curb violence by Israeli extremists.Palestinian analyst and political expert Ghassan Khatib said it’s not surprising that Palestinians are interested in any possible developments in the Israeli political system. "It’s natural for Palestinians to follow what happens on the Israeli political side because they realize their life conditions and future are shaped by Israel," he told the Post."So, they hope the elections might bring about a change in the Israeli policy towards them,” he said."Israel is the one that controls daily life for Palestinians in any possible way and in all areas," Khatib continued. "It controls the Palestinian economy and decides everything for Palestinian."He added that Palestinians face a double problem: one with Israel, and the other with the Palestinian Authority, whose function is not satisfactory. According to a poll conducted recently by The Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, which he heads in Ramallah, the majority of the Palestinian public has lost trust in their leadership. "Part of the reason for it is that Israel has turned the Palestinian leadership into one that cannot function or administer things properly," he noted."Palestinians see that Israel has changed and that the 'new Israel' has no interest in a political resolution to the conflict; Palestinians don’t have any illusions about that," Khatib said.Follow us on Google