Birzeit University anthropologist Nibel Khalil stated that Israeli election results are always full of "surprises" and warned of potential manipulation in the voting process. Khalil expects some Palestinian citizens of Israel may not be able to vote and expressed concerns about attempts to manipulate the election process. She also noted that Palestinians do not expect the new government to bring about statehood but might "alleviate" the growing restrictions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera's live updates, citing Central Elections Committee data, reported that voter turnout in the Israeli parliamentary election reached 16.68% in the first three hours, one of the highest early figures in decades.