Israeli elections

Hadash MK Ayman Odeh and Ta'al MK Ahmad Tibi seen during a Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 10, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Can a renewed Joint List survive until Israel’s elections?

The leaders of Israel’s four Arab parties say they agree on the importance of a unified electoral alliance. Yet they remain divided on the terms of the pact.

By Samah Salaime April 14, 2026

Israeli soldiers stand guard on the Israeli side of the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, March 18, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israel’s new national consensus: Returning to October 6

Despite the spectacular collapse of Netanyahu’s ‘conflict management’ doctrine, both he and his staunchest critics are campaigning on its revival.

By Meron Rapoport January 23, 2026

Ra'am head Mansour Abbas attends a session in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament. May 16, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/FLASH90)

Netanyahu’s veiled threat to outlaw Ra’am is a message to all Palestinian citizens

With elections in the offing, the prime minister is plotting another term in power via delegitimizing an Arab kingmaker and suppressing voter turnout.

By Ameer Makhoul December 1, 2025

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Dahlia Scheindlin (Oren Ziv)

PODCAST: Reckoning or reverting? Israeli society after the ceasefire

Dahlia Scheindlin explores the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war and why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.

By +972 Magazine October 23, 2025

Democrats head Yair Golan, National Unity head Benny Gantz, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, and Yisrael Beyteinu party Avigdor Liberman hold a joint press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel’s opposition is plotting a return to power. But it remains its own worst enemy

Despite a strong showing in the polls, Israel’s center-left camp is still in denial about its only trump card: joining forces with Palestinian-led parties.

By Joshua Leifer September 15, 2025

Right-wing activists attend a ceremony honoring late Jewish extremist leader Rabbi Meir Kahane in Jerusalem, Nov. 17, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

How Kahanism found its way into the Israeli political mainstream

Genocidal rhetoric is not new to Israeli politics. But Gaza's destruction mirrors the apocalyptic language pouring out of the Knesset — where the establishment has gradually absorbed members of a former terrorist group.

By Natasha Soffer-Roth May 14, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking before the U.S. Congress, March 3, 2015. (Official Photo for Speaker John Boehner by Heather Reed/Flickr)

Will the midterms spell the end of US ‘red lines’ on Israel?

Foundation for Middle East Peace President Lara Friedman speaks to +972 about a dangerous new phase in American pro-Israel politics.

By Nate Orbach November 7, 2022

Members of the Joint List arrive for a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, as Rivlin begins consulting political leaders to decide who to task with trying to form a new government, September 22, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Joint List is dead. Who will lead the fight for Palestinian citizens?

The re-fragmentation of Palestinian parties in Israel exemplifies the lack of a political compass to guide their struggle, with the public divided on how to confront both a far-right government and a broken liberation movement.

By Amjad Iraqi November 7, 2022

Itamar Ben Gvir, head of Otzma Yehudit, celebrates with his supporters at an election night party, Jerusalem, November 1, 2022. (Oren Ziv)

The Kahanists won. Here’s how the left can rebuild

The results of the latest Israeli election are bleak. But amid the despair are clues to the way forward.

By Haggai Matar November 2, 2022

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the annual CyberTech conference, March 3, 3022. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

Netanyahu’s last stand

The ex-prime minister's new autobiography shows how his worldview became the common denominator in Israeli politics. That may also prove his downfall.

By Noam Sheizaf October 30, 2022

Members of the Joint List arrive for a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence, Jerusalem, September 22, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The forgotten role of Palestinian citizens in Israel’s coalition wars

Contrary to popular belief, Arab parties have been backing prime ministerial candidates for decades. But what did they gain from the political game?

By Wadea Awawdy October 27, 2022

Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas and party members at the party headquarters in Tamra, on election night, March 23, 2021. (Flash90)

Disillusioned with Ra’am, a new party wants Bedouins to have their own voice

The Islamist Ra'am has long had strong support in the Naqab. But after the party's failures in government, Bedouin citizens are demanding a change.

By Baker Zoubi August 17, 2022

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