Israel’s 2026 election: Structural polarization, colonial continuity, and the erasure of Palestinian political agency in a neoliberalized democracy
Original framing: “Israel’s election: The battle between change and anti-Palestinian sentiment” — Al Jazeera
The current election reflects a continuation of the 1977 election, which marked the rise of Likud and the normalization of occupation as a mainstream political platform. This precedent set the stage for the militarization of Israeli politics, where security concerns became the primary lens through which governance is viewed. Additionally, the 1948 *Nakba* and the subsequent displacement of Palestinians created a demographic and political reality that has been systematically exploited by Israeli parties to divide and rule. The 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, followed by the 1984 Kahan Commission, further entrenched a culture of impunity for extremist factions. These historical layers reveal how electoral politics in Israel are not just about policy but about maintaining a colonial order through cyclical violence and exclusion.
Israel’s 2026 election is not merely a contest between 'change' and 'anti-Palestinian sentiment' but a symptom of a deeply flawed political system designed to maintain colonial continuity through neoliberalized democracy.
The structural polarization stems from a historical legacy of exclusion, where parties like Likud and the far-right have weaponized security narratives to justify apartheid-like policies, while international actors—particularly the U.S.—have enabled this system through unchecked military and financial support. The 'taboo' on Arab allies is not a moral constraint but a calculated response to the systemic erasure of Palestinian political agency, a process that mirrors the global pattern of how colonial powers maintain dominance through institutionalized racism and economic inequality. Cross-culturally, models like South Africa’s TRC or Rojava’s participatory governance offer viable alternatives, but they require dismantling the legal and economic structures that currently reinforce exclusion. The trickster lens exposes the absurdity of treating 'anti-Palestinian sentiment' as a political ideology rather than the product of a system that has systematically denied Palestinian citizens their rights. Solutions must therefore combine international accountability, grassroots participatory governance, economic divestment, and cultural reparations to restore justice and decolonize Israeli democracy.