Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Hatikva Market in Tel Aviv as part of the Likud party’s election campaign, October 22, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

50 shades of right: An Israeli election primer

While Netanyahu’s bloc adds more extremists to its ranks, his opponents are impeding their own path to power by refusing to work with Arab parties.
By Ben Reiff
Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, surrounded by MK Ahmad Tibi and Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem for a hearing on the Central Elections Committee’s decision to disqualify candidates and parties from running in the upcoming Knesset elections, October 1, 2026. (Oren Ziv)

Israel’s election won’t change the renewed reality of political apartheid

Abu Shehadeh’s disqualification sends a clear message: Jewish-majority state institutions now determine who represents Palestinian citizens.
By Areej Sabbagh-Khoury
Election campaign billboards featuring Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot and Likud party chairman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside opposition leaders, displayed on a road in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, October 17, 2026. (Sharon Leibel/Flash90)

Eisenkot is trying to outflank Netanyahu on the right. It’s a failed strategy

The more hawkish the opposition leader is, the harder it is to explain what alternative he offers — and he’s not the first to make that mistake.
By Amos Brison
Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich tours the Mahane Yehuda Market as part of the party’s election campaign, in Jerusalem, October 9, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Why Smotrich still defines the horizon of Israeli politics

Israeli liberals have acceded to the maximalist vision of the MK's 2017 ‘Decisive Plan’ — while claiming to oppose ‘messianic’ violence.
By Avi-ram Tzoreff
Leena Dallasheh (courtesy)
PODCAST

What’s at stake for Palestinian citizens in Israel’s election?

Leena Dallasheh discusses the echoes of military rule in today’s crackdown on Palestinian dissent, and the struggle for a more substantive form of citizenship.
By +972 Magazine
Latest
Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog announce a joint slate for the upcoming elections, December 10, 2014. (Photo by Activestills.org)
‘Zionist Camp’ takes a lead in polls, but Bibi has upper hand
The top two parties are neck-and-neck and the number of political king-makers is growing. With a number of potential wild-cards ahead, it’s anyone’s election. If elections were to take place today, the next prime minister of Israel could come from either of two directions: the Labor Party’s Issac Herzog or incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,…
By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 27, 2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo by Activestills.org)
Devoid of issues, elections devolve into clash of personalities
Instead of discussing increasing violence against civilians, border skirmishes and the assassination of an Iranian general, Israeli politicians are busy putting out tasteless and tactless campaign videos attacking each other with name-calling. It’s not just the occupation and Israel’s violation of basic rights that are missing from this election season, but any reference at all…
By Mairav Zonszein January 27, 2015
A Palestinian child with ash on his face sits in one of the newly established camps with metal caravan shelters for displaced people in the village of Khuza’a, eastern Gaza Strip, November 9, 2014. (photo: Activestills.org)
UN aid agency to Gazans: Sorry, but there’s no money
Only $135 million of pledged donor money has been delivered to Gaza, hundreds of millions short of what’s needed, the UN agency says. As a result, it is suspending its aid programs for those most affected by the war. By Yael Marom UNRWA, the UN relief agency charged with providing aid to Palestinian refugees, announced…
By +972 Magazine January 27, 2015
IDF soldiers walk through Hebron. (photo: Activestills)
IDF commander dismisses Unit 8200 refuseniks
‘These operations, and not our letter, are what make military service political.’ The 43 reservist soldiers who refused to serve in the IDF respond to their dismissal.  The commander of the IDF’s highly prestigious 8200 intelligence unit dismissed all 43 reservist soldiers who previously declared their refusal to serve in a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu last…
By Mairav Zonszein January 26, 2015
Members of newly announced "United List" of Arab parties in Israel ahead of March 17, 2015 election Photo: Courtesy Balad)
How the joint Arab slate challenges Israel’s discriminatory politics
For the first time, the Knesset could have a sizable political bloc that is ‘100 percent for equality, 100 percent against occupation.’ The joint Arab slate should use this to not only challenge the right-wing’s discriminatory agenda, but to expose the center-left’s distorted idea of democracy.  Last week, the four main political parties representing Palestinian citizens of…
By Amjad Iraqi January 26, 2015
Shimon Peres, John Kerry and Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan (World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell)
Israel won’t become part of the Middle East until the occupation ends
The chance of Israel’s re-admittance to the Middle East lies in its ability to show initiative, originality and flexibility of thought. Only by attempting sincerely to solve the Palestinian problem will it have a chance to become a public and recognized player. Prof. Elie Podeh A few months ago, former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni traveled…
By +972 Magazine January 26, 2015
The Israel-Palestine Lorde Diaries, Chapter 4: Azizi will judge
Part four, in which our heroes find a jar of rare yeast spread, and have a wonderful time chuckling at ‘Google Translate.’ Read the previous chapters of The Israel-Palestine Lorde Diaries’ here. On Tuesday I wrote Hanin: “It’s time to look for a singer. You said you knew a few.” There was no response that day,…
By Yuval Ben-Ami January 25, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo by Activestills.org)
Netanyahu on how his old U.S. high school ‘changed’
More evidence that his racism doesn’t stop at Arabs. I’ve never written about a particular comment Bibi Netanyahu made when I interviewed him in the summer of 1993, because as objective evidence of anti-black racism, it’s not exactly slam-dunk. But this weekend Netanyahu accused Israel’s friendliest, most unthreatening Arab public figure, broadcaster-turned-candidate Zohair Bahloul, of…
By Larry Derfner January 25, 2015
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Photo by Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)
United Arab slate thumbs nose at Liberman’s disqualification attempt
After years of engaging in relentless, blatantly racist incitement against the Arab parties, the foreign minister may soon get his comeuppance. Avigdor Liberman, head of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party and current foreign minister, is trying to get the new unified list of Arab parties disqualified from running in the upcoming elections. According to settler website Arutz Sheva,…
By Lisa Goldman January 24, 2015
Mizrahi activists protest outside Finance Minister Yair Lapid's house, north Tel Aviv. (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)
Why Mizrahim don’t vote for the Left
It is no wonder that Mizrahim vote for right-wing parties when the Ashkenazi-dominated Left has done everything in its power to exclude them. Want things to change? Start talking about Ashkenazi privilege. By Tom Mehager Those who have, historically, voted for Israel’s left-wing camp are often nicknamed “the white tribe.” On the other hand, the…
By Haokets January 24, 2015
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  2. 50 shades of right: An Israeli election primer
  3. Eisenkot is trying to outflank Netanyahu on the right. It’s a failed strategy
  4. Israel's election won't change the renewed reality of political apartheid
  5. Jewish Israelis must do more than stand together with Palestinians
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