2021 Israeli elections

Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra'am party arrives to coalition talks, at the Maccabiah village in Ramat Gan, June 2, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Israel has a new ‘good Arab’ in government

Mansour Abbas claims that his role in the new Israeli coalition is 'historic.' But most Palestinian citizens know better, and are choosing a different direction.

By Rami Younis June 3, 2021

Naftali Bennett, head of Yamina party and party members seen with Yamina supporters at the party headquarters in Petah Tikva, on elections night, on March 23, 2021. Photo by Avi Dishi/Flash90

Israel’s likely new government, explained

Netanyahu may be heading out, but his former allies and right-wing policies are still very much in.

By Haggai Matar June 1, 2021

Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas speaks during a press conference in Nazareth, April 1, 2021. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Mansour Abbas doesn’t stand a chance against the forces of Jewish supremacy

Abbas had hoped his new status as 'kingmaker' would allow him to influence Israeli politics. But he is no match for Bezalel Smotrich and the far right.

By Meron Rapoport April 5, 2021

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Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas (center) speaks to his supporters on election night in the city of Tamra, March 23, 2021. (Oren Ziv)

How an Islamist became Israel’s unlikely political kingmaker

The fall of the Joint List and rise of Ra'am's Mansour Abbas show that Israeli politics can no longer ignore Palestinian citizens — even if it may end up boosting the right.

By Edo Konrad March 24, 2021

Labor party leader Merav Michaeli at the party's conference ahead of the Israeli elections in Hod Hasharon, March 14, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Can she handle it? How the Israeli media covers women politicians

Women running for the Knesset have to overcome not only voters' gender stereotypes, but a media landscape that is heavily skewed in men's favor.

By Noa Balf March 23, 2021

Meir Kahane addresses followers during a demonstration in Jerusalem, January 8, 1984. (Anti Harnik)

Kahanism doesn’t need a seat in the Knesset

Israelis may fear the racist Itamar Ben-Gvir could enter the Knesset next week, but the government has been carrying out his vision just fine without him.

By Orly Noy March 21, 2021

LGBTQ Palestinians take part in a protest following the stabbing of a queer Arab teen in Tel Aviv, August 1, 2019. (Mati Milstein)

‘LGBTQ rights have become a litmus test in Palestinian society’

The growing visibility of queer Palestinians poses a challenge to Arab political parties that are exploiting homophobia ahead of the Israeli election, says attorney and activist Fady Khoury.

By Edo Konrad March 17, 2021

Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, holds a press conference in Jerusalem, March 1, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Netanyahu is embracing fascists — and the world is tolerating them

Itamar Ben-Gvir is not an outlier in Israeli politics; he is part of a far-right alliance that the international community has been normalizing for years.

By Sami Abu Shehadeh March 4, 2021

A woman holds her baby as she casts her ballot for Knesset elections at a voting station in Jerusalem, on September 17, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A guide to Israel’s never-ending elections

Israeli citizens will once again vote on whether to keep Netanyahu in power — and decide just how far right the country will go.

By Haggai Matar February 19, 2021

A Palestinian citizen of Israel takes part in a protest against annexation of thr West Bank, Tel Aviv, June 6, 2020. (Oren Ziv)

The Israeli right wants Arabs at the polls — with one big condition

Israeli politicians are scrambling for the votes of Arab citizens. But this love affair is driven by a colonial goal: erasing the community's Palestinian identity.

By Meron Rapoport and Ameer Fakhoury February 4, 2021

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Joint List party chairman Ayman Odeh talk during a vote at the Knesset on November 18, 2015. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

PODCAST: Why is Netanyahu suddenly courting Palestinian voters?

After years of inciting against Palestinian citizens of Israel, Bibi does an about-face. +972's Edo Konrad and Amjad Iraqi make sense of another election.

By Edo Konrad and Amjad Iraqi January 29, 2021