With sustained violent illegal settlements on the West Bank and continued occupation of Gaza, Robin Arnfield assesses where the two-state plan is today
Since this article was written in July, the Place for Us All party has decided to withdraw from the October Knesset election. The party does not want to risk splitting the anti-Netanyahu vote. Instead, the party will dedicate its efforts to increasing voter turnout among both Arab and Jewish communities.
With the two-state solution a distant dream and growing violence in the West Bank, a new Arab-Jewish Israeli party aims for Palestinians to get a real voice in the Knesset. The question is: will Netanyahu’s government win the October election and continue the “forever war” with Gaza, or is there a prospect of a peace settlement with the Palestinians that could lead to a two-state solution?
Rula Daood and Alon-Lee Green, co-leaders of the Israeli-Palestinian pro-peace and justice organisation Standing Together, recently launched a new party, Makom Lekulanu (A Place for Us All), to stop the war and achieve peace and equality for Arabs and Jews.
Israelis and Palestinians living in Israel and Palestine as well as diaspora Jews and Palestinians were asked how they view Makom Lekulanu’s prospects. The party envisions a two-state solution, which the Netanyahu government has declared dead, especially with its plans for West Bank settlements.
Israel’s PR system requires parties to achieve at least 3.25% of votes to gain a seat, equivalent to 30,000 votes. A July Israeli TV news poll showed Makom Lekulanu had secured support equivalent to at least one Knesset seat, with nearly 50,000 votes from Arab citizens alone. Particularly significant is the party’s growing support among young people and women in Arab society, two constituencies that historically recorded low electoral participation.
Makom Lekulanu faces challenges, since its electoral basis is still a small minority. But it is the only party offering an equal Jewish-Arab partnership and with its aim of a truly equitable society. Prior to the election, Makom Lekulanu is working in the Arab community to motivate voters. They are also canvassing in the streets with Israelis.
Standing Together calls for an end to settler violence against West Bank Arabs, which has seen Palestinians being killed or injured by settlers with minimal punishment. Jewish and Arab Standing Together activists visit the homes of victims of settler violence to express sympathy. “An Arab grandmother wept when a Jewish lady came to her home for the first time after her grandson was murdered by settlers,” said Heli Mishael, an Israeli Standing Together coordinator.
Israeli voters have three options: support Netanyahu and the forever war; vote for opposition parties wanting to contain the violence but without peace deals; or vote for peace and equality between Jews and Arabs. “This election is an opportunity to present a vision of change,” said Heli. It’s possible that Netanyahu may lose to Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the new centrist party Yashar, which seeks an accommodation with neighbouring countries.
“We want to have 60,000 direct conversations with Arabs that would lead to 500,000 people voting,” Heli said. Standing Together has a major presence in 12 Arab cities.
Karen Golden, a diaspora Jew, says everyone involved is alive to the risks of diverting votes from other progressive parties. “Makom Lekulanu wants to expand the voting pie, not divide up the existing one into smaller pieces,” she says. If they don’t get 3.25%, they’ll withdraw to avoid diverting votes from defeating Netanyahu. If they can cross the 3.25% needed, as the only truly joint Jewish-Palestinian party, they may be well positioned to join a governing coalition.
Bashar Alshawwa, a diaspora Palestinian, said the next election could be framed as a “Bibi in/Bibi out” contest. Key variables include whether Trump supports Bibi or Eisenkot; the failure of the Democrats, a merger of left-wing parties Meretz and Labour, to take a stand on controversial issues like the Basic Law (AKA the Jewish Nation State Law); the future of cooperation among Arab parties and Palestinian citizens’ voting behaviour.
“Due to Israel’s proportional representation, parties can form joint electoral lists before elections, and may sign surplus-vote agreements affecting how remaining seats are allocated after the vote. This makes alliance-building important and can significantly influence the final seat distribution,” Bashar said. “Recent elections produced a clear parliamentary majority for right-wing parties, with roughly two-thirds of the Knesset’s 120 seats held by parties from right-wing blocs. That outcome reflected coalition-building and broader shifts in voter behaviour.”
Bashar said Makom Lekulanu is mobilising Palestinians who haven’t traditionally participated in elections, but other Arab parties are pursuing the same voters. “Even well-established Arab political figures have struggled to cross the electoral threshold despite having substantial support. If Bibi enters the election without strong external endorsement for an alternative candidate such as Eisenkot, and if Makom Lekulanu can’t secure the alliances it needs, its chances of entering the Knesset remain limited.”
Arabs don’t vote in national elections because they don’t think it affects their personal life. “The Arab parties are important as, without them, the anti-Netanyahu parties wouldn’t have a majority,” says Heli. Standing Together’s national field organiser in Israel, Uri Weltmann, says Arabs constitute around 20% of Israeli citizens.
“The war against Gaza since October 7 isn’t just the usual bloodletting between Israelis and Palestinians,” said Uri. “What we’ve seen since October 7 is something qualitatively different, a paradigm-shattering moment. The Israeli far-right’s response was to exploit the October 7 tragedy to create a messianic extremist agenda calling for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, reestablishing settlements that were removed from Gaza in Israel’s 2006 disengagement, and annexing the West Bank without giving citizenship to the Palestinians there. Also, they are tightening their grip inside Israel, targeting the Palestinian minority, civil society, democratic norms and rights.”
In July 2024, right-wing factions stated that the Knesset opposes the foundation of an independent Palestinian state West of the Jordan River, even within the framework of a diplomatic agreement. This was a symbolic statement, but in politics, these carry effect. Only the Arab parties had the courage to oppose this statement. This motivated Standing Together’s leaders to found a party to advocate for Israeli-Palestinian peace, end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.