Our Wednesday News Analysis | U.S., Israel, Palestine: Three Dramatic Elections in One Month

An Israeli voting in last year's local elections. Credit: Gil Eliyahu

Israelis, Americans and Palestinians are all scheduled to vote within a 32-day period between October 27 and November 28. The results of these three elections matter greatly for the three societies, and will also impact the relationships between them, in ways that will have a broader global impact in the coming years.

The U.S. midterm elections will take place on November 3, just a week after Israel's October 27 election. Drawing less attention are the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, which are now scheduled for November 28. The confluence of these elections provides a stark reminder that democracy, even if dominated by domestic issues, may also be impacted by external events and influences.

In Israel, Netanyahu has long touted his unique understanding of American politics and his special connection with U.S. President Donald Trump as distinguishing him from other Israeli political leaders. However, Netanyahu's stewardship of the U.S.-Israel relationship has become a major source of contention in recent months as Trump has marginalized Israeli involvement in negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu's public rejection of Trump's plan for the future of Gaza has made things even worse.

While Trump has not been shy about endorsing candidates around the globe, he has remained vague about the Israeli election, saying recently that "it's most appropriate for me to stay out of it, but I may endorse somebody." Moreover, Trump's support has not always proven decisive; Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump (and Netanyahu) favorite, was soundly defeated in the Hungarian election. Still, the question of whether or not Trump will get involved in the Israeli democratic process remains a wildcard ahead of Election Day.

In the U.S., the involvement of AIPAC in Democratic primaries and some general election races has become a political flashpoint this year. While candidates once actively sought AIPAC's backing, and the campaign funding that followed its endorsement, many Democratic primary candidates are now publicly rejecting its support and criticizing what they view as the lobby's outsized influence in Congress. Even Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate for Senate in Michigan, has expressed misgivings about being seen as the AIPAC candidate.

Palestinian elections, given the less-than-ideal circumstances under which they are taking place, are inevitably affected by the actions of external actors. Voters will choose from lists comprising Palestinians residing in both Gaza and the West Bank, but Israeli-imposed movement restrictions will limit the ability of candidates to physically campaign beyond their immediate city of residence.

The Central Election Commission, which is viewed within Palestinian society as a highly credible institution, must rely on innovative mechanisms to identify those eligible to vote and to ensure that the overall integrity of the process is maintained. Those expecting a Western-style election are likely to be disappointed, but neither should the process be summarily dismissed as lacking any credibility.

The bigger question is whether these elections will restore a degree of legitimacy to Palestinian institutions and leaders, and reclaim Palestinians' agency in the determination of their fate. The Palestinian Authority is viewed by much of the public as out-of-touch, ineffective, and without popular support...

Read more: U.S., Israel, Palestine: Three Dramatic Elections in One Month

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THE WEST BANK’S ULTRA-APARTHEID AND THE COLLUSIVE INTERNATIONAL SILENCE

Source: Palestine Chronicle
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-west-banks-ultra-apartheid-and-the-collusive-international-silence/

By Dan Steinbock
Published September 1, 2026

Gaza showed the genocidal face of Israel’s expulsive strategy. In the West Bank, the same objective is realized with incremental escalation. The ultimate goal is the same – the final expulsion of the Palestinians.

Israeli occupation forces storm the village of Al-Zuweidin, in the occupied West Bank, to carry out demolitions. (Photo: QNN)

Today, the West Bank is a nightmare of vicious settlement expansion, land seizure, economic strangulation, settler violence and forced displacement.

With the collusion of the Israeli military and police, the Israeli-occupied territories are effectively ruled by the Messianic far-right settlers who see their mob-like racist pogroms of Palestinians as a divine step to Final Redemption.

The ongoing year has accelerated the process from settlement expansion toward territorial consolidation and displacement. The scale is stark.

Displacement Becomes Systematic

By August 10, the UN reported 76 Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including 18 children; about 3,800 Palestinians had been displaced during 2026 through settler violence, demolitions and evictions, nearly half of them children.

More than 1,430 settler incidents had been recorded, affecting roughly 260 Palestinian communities.

The crucial point is not simply Jewish settler violence but its geographical and economic function. Settler attacks increasingly target homes, agricultural land, livestock, water and electricity infrastructure.

In a recent podcast, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right extremist who believes in Jewish racial supremacy, urged Israelis to kill “30 to 40” Palestinians in Gaza every night. He also supports aggressive, lethal actions against Palestinians in the West Bank, applying a similarly hardline approach through legislative, judicial, and security policies.

These statements no longer reflect a “lunatic fringe,” as often portrayed by the media in the West. They reflect the brutal repression of Palestinians that’s now the new normal. OCHA reports that displacement caused by demolitions, settler violence and access restrictions has averaged 17 Palestinians a day in 2026; twice the average of the preceding three years.

Since 2023, 127 communities have experienced full or partial displacement; 47 have been completely emptied.

The economic damage compounds the demographic pressure. UNCTAD estimates that West Bank GDP contracted 17% in 2024, while cumulative unrealized Palestinian GDP from occupation-related restrictions between 2000–24 reached $170.8 billion—about 17 times 2024 West Bank GDP.

The settlement economy in Area C and East Jerusalem, by contrast, generated an estimated $53 billion in 2024...

Read more: The West Bank’s Ultra-Apartheid and the Collusive International Silence

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‘IN ENGLISH, HE PRAISES TRUMP’: ARAGHCHI SAYS NETANYAHU IS A ‘SERPENT’

Source: Palestine Chronicle
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/in-english-he-praises-trump-araghchi-says-netanyahu-is-a-serpent/

By Palestine Chronicle Staff
Published August 31, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Benjamin Netanyahu of deceiving Washington into fighting Iran while publicly praising President Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Design: PC)

Key Takeaways

• Araghchi accused Netanyahu of deceiving the US into waging war against Iran on Israel’s behalf.
• He pointed to Netanyahu’s remarks about spending 1,000 hours on US television to “influence” American opinion.
• His comments follow reported concerns among Trump’s “America First” allies over Netanyahu’s push for further escalation against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of manipulating the United States into entering the war against Iran, describing the Israeli leader as a “serpent” and pointing to his own public statements about influencing American opinion.

In a post on X, Araghchi said Netanyahu had spoken openly in Hebrew about his ability to influence Washington while adopting a markedly different tone when addressing the US president in English.

“Netanyahu explicitly laughs about how he ‘influenced’ America through 1,000 hours of airtime on US networks,” Araghchi wrote. “In English, he praises POTUS’ leadership,” he added.

Araghchi accused Netanyahu of having pushed the United States into waging a war against Iran on Israel’s behalf.

His remarks came amid continuing debate in the United States over Israel’s influence on the Trump administration’s Iran policy and concerns among some of the president’s political allies over further military escalation.

Araghchi has also recently accused “Israel-aligned actors” of promoting continued fighting through what he described as overly optimistic assessments of the war.

Concerns among Trump Allies

The latest remarks come after Politico reported in July that figures within the “America First” wing of the Republican Party were increasingly concerned that Netanyahu could push Trump toward deeper involvement in the war with Iran.

The report was published ahead of a White House meeting between Trump and Netanyahu and said the Israeli prime minister had previously helped persuade Trump to begin the war during an earlier face-to-face meeting.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was among those publicly opposing Netanyahu’s influence on the administration’s Iran policy...

Read more: ‘In English, He Praises Trump’: Araghchi Says Netanyahu is a ‘Serpent’