In the West Bank, Palestinians have been denied the right to choose their leadership for nearly two decades. Presidential and parliamentary elections have not been held since 2005–2006, and political power has been consolidated through presidential decrees rather than votes. When elections were announced for 2021, they were abruptly postponed weeks before voting and never rescheduled. Since then, political opposition and protest movements have faced systematic repression. Critics of the Palestinian Authority have been arrested for political speech, detained without due process, and held in PA prisons, where human rights organizations have documented cases of torture and ill-treatment, including beatings and stress positions. The 2021 killing of activist Nizar Banat after a violent arrest by PA security forces, followed by mass arrests of protesters demanding accountability, underscored the risks associated with political dissent and opposition activity.

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In Gaza, Hamas has ruled since 2007 without elections or political pluralism. Organized political opposition is actively suppressed, and rival factions, activists, and critics are detained by Hamas security forces. Human rights organizations have documented arbitrary arrests and torture in Hamas-run detention facilities, including physical abuse of detainees accused of political dissent or disloyalty. Residents have no electoral mechanism to challenge leadership or policy, and local elections held in parts of the West Bank were not permitted in Gaza. For Gaza’s population, political participation is enforced through control and intimidation rather than choice, with silence often functioning as a condition of personal safety.

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