West Bank Sieges: Palestinian Vote Gains Clouded by Hebron Withdrawal
Record turnout for Arab-led parties in Israel coincided with a military withdrawal in Hebron and rising settler violence in the West Bank.
By Scott Marshall ·
A record electoral surge for Palestinian citizens of Israel was overshadowed by military operations in the West Bank during the final week of October.
Arab-led parties, including Ra’am and the Joint List, secured 19 seats in the recent Israeli election. Turnout among these voters rose by 64 percent, reaching nearly 840,000 individuals. These results position the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot with 67 seats, though coalition talks remain stalled.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party initially alleged the election was stolen, citing unproven claims of Qatari financing. Qatar denied these accusations, and police sources stated there was no evidence of widespread fraud. By Sunday, election committee chairman Noam Sohlberg declared the process was conducted properly. Despite this, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman ruled out Palestinian partners in a coalition.
In the occupied West Bank, ten entrances to Hebron were sealed by late October, displacing approximately 5,000 people. The military operation resulted in at least 120 arrests and the demolition of 13 businesses. Governor Khaled Dudin announced on November 2 that the army had withdrawn, allowing displaced families to return. Reports indicate the army’s chief of staff recommended an earlier withdrawal, a move Netanyahu refused.
The economic toll in Hebron is estimated at 10 million to 12 million shekels in daily losses. The city produces about 40 percent of Palestinian industrial output. Similar disruptions occurred in the Masafer Yatta region, where at least 12 villages were cut off. Yousef Shanaran, a resident of Wadi Rakhim, described a four-week siege during which settlers poisoned his family’s well, leaving them without water, food, or supplies.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 397 settler attacks in the first 26 days of October. This figure represents a monthly high since tracking began in 2006. In Gaza, the UN human rights office warned that Palestinians are being pushed into a shrinking area defined by a moving Yellow Line. The Ministry of Health reported 1,593 deaths since the previous year’s ceasefire, with Sunday marking the deadliest day of the week at least eight fatalities.
Humanitarian conditions in Gaza have worsened as winter approaches. Two infant girls died in a tent fire in al-Mawasi. The Social Development Ministry stated that 200,000 tents are needed, yet only dozens have arrived. The Red Crescent warned that the health system is at risk of collapse, with 26 hospitals out of service and fuel shortages threatening the remaining facilities.
