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Palestinians Lose Hope, Interest in Israeli Elections

Daoud Kuttab analyzes the apathy among Palestinians about the upcoming Israeli elections.
Palestinians walk past a blast wall with graffiti in the West Bank city of Hebron January 13, 2013. Entrenched in what they view as their Biblical heartland, the hardline Jewish settlers of Hebron look forward with delight to next week's Israeli election. Picture taken January 13, 2013. To match ISRAEL-ELECTION/SETTLERS   REUTERS/Baz Ratner  (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

For a long time, Palestinians followed the Israeli elections very closely. They were aware of who was up, who was down, the platforms of every party in Israel and how each's victory or loss could affect the coalition and the peace process.

Today in Palestine, there is no such interest — and it is not clear why. Is it because Palestinians see little difference between the various competing politicians? Is it because the peace process is not a major topic of discussion among Israelis, or simply that the media terrain has changed so much in the past few years?

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