Israel’s opposition often joined government on Palestinian measures, vote analysis finds
An Al Jazeera review of ten Knesset votes ahead of Israel’s October 27 election found broad support for several measures affecting Palestinians, with Arab-led parties providing the most consistent opposition.
Israel’s mainstream opposition parties often voted alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition on measures affecting Palestinians, according to an Al Jazeera analysis published October 21 ahead of the country’s October 27 election. The review examined ten consequential Knesset votes, including measures on Palestinian statehood, the occupied West Bank and aid to Palestinian refugees.
The findings give voters a record of where parties aligned on those measures, even when they were political opponents. Al Jazeera identified the Arab-led parties and the four-seat Democrats as the only consistent opposition across its selection of votes. Together, they held 14 seats in the outgoing 120-seat parliament.
How parties voted on Palestinian statehood
In February 2024, the Knesset backed a cabinet statement opposing unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by 99 votes to 11. Al Jazeera reported that the coalition, Yisrael Beiteinu and most members of Yesh Atid and National Unity supported it; only Arab-led parties voted against. Labor boycotted the vote.
A July 2024 resolution describing a Palestinian state as an ‘existential danger’ passed 68 to nine. National Unity and Yisrael Beiteinu joined the coalition in favour, while Yesh Atid and Labor stayed away. Again, according to Al Jazeera, only Arab-led parties voted against.
West Bank measures drew different alignments
The pattern varied on the occupied West Bank. A nonbinding declaration calling for its annexation, including the Jordan Valley, passed 71 to 13 in July 2025. Yesh Atid and National Unity boycotted that vote, while Labor joined Arab-led parties in opposing the declaration, Al Jazeera reported.
A bill to apply Israeli law to the occupied West Bank passed a preliminary reading by 25 votes to 24 on October 22, 2025. Likud officially opposed it, although one of its lawmakers voted for it; United Torah Judaism was split. The preliminary vote did not make the bill law: legislation requires three Knesset votes to pass.
UNRWA restrictions won broad support
Two laws restricting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, passed in October 2024 and took effect in January 2025. One barred the agency from operating in territory Israel considers sovereign, including occupied East Jerusalem; the other cut off state contact with it. They passed 92 to 10 and 87 to nine respectively, making them the most widely supported binding measures in Al Jazeera’s review. The outlet reported that the coalition and several opposition parties backed them, while Arab-led parties voted against.
The outgoing coalition held 60 seats when parliament dissolved in July ahead of the October 27 election. In separate election coverage, AFP reported that US Vice President JD Vance declined on October 19 to endorse Netanyahu, while President Donald Trump backed him.
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Sources and context
- Far from fringe: How Israel’s mainstream parties vote with the far rightAl Jazeera
- US VP Vance says he is staying out of Israel vote as Trump backs NetanyahuDawn (AFP)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.