Between the Uprising of 2021 and the Silence of 2023: Rethinking Palestinian Political Mobilization Inside Israel

Abstract

This article examines the relative absence of large-scale Palestinian political mobilization inside Israel following October 7, 2023, situating it within broader historical, political, and structural transformations rather than treating it as an isolated moment. It asks how the interplay between intensified political control and conditional economic integration under Israeli settler colonialism and neoliberalism over the past two decades has reshaped the conditions of political action for Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Drawing on qualitative content analysis of policy documents, public discourse, and socio-economic data, the article adopts a dialectical approach to examine five interrelated processes: a persistent condition of “in-betweenness” shaping the lived experience of Palestinians in Israel; macro-level shifts in Israeli policy marked by intensified political repression alongside expanding economic containment; the resulting fragility of the national political center and erosion of political agency, intersecting with political fragmentation and the rise of organized crime; the recalibration of Israeli policy following the May 2021 uprising, including expanded punitive measures; and the further escalation of these dynamics after October 7, generating a climate of heightened political intimidation and fear.

By foregrounding these interconnected processes, the article explores how changing perceptions of political opportunity emerge, highlighting the ways in which political action is shaped by shifting constraints, structural tensions, and evolving forms of state-society relations.