Amnesty UK slams Israeli elections as ‘apartheid at the ballot box'

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Amnesty International UK slammed Israel’s Tuesday elections as “apartheid at the ballot box,” saying millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation are being denied the right to vote while Israeli settlers living on Palestinian land can cast ballots.

“As polls opened, Palestinians in Hebron are locked down in their own (West Bank) city, with thousands forced from their homes. In Gaza, more than 1,500 people have been killed since the so-called ceasefire began,” Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s crisis response manager, said in a statement, referring to the ceasefire reached in October 2025.

Calling on the UK government to take action regardless of the election outcome, Benedict said: “No election result will change what the UK government must do.”

“It must end all arms transfers to Israel, sanction the Israeli officials most implicated in international crimes, and demand unfettered humanitarian access and an end to the unlawful blockade of Gaza,” he added.

Benedict further urged the UK to support international judicial institutions and end its involvement in Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

“It must support the International Criminal Court, implement the International Court of Justice’s rulings in full, and cut every UK link to Israel’s unlawful occupation, system of apartheid and genocide of Palestinians – whether through trade, investment, finance, cooperation or assistance,” he said.

Voting began Tuesday in Israel’s parliamentary elections, with more than 7.3 million people eligible to cast ballots to elect the 120-member Knesset.

Polling stations opened at 7 am local time and are scheduled to close at 10 pm, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.

The elections have been marked by intense competition between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition and the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot.

Aysu Biçer