israeli politics

Israeli police officers chase an ultra-Orthodox man during a police operation in the Haredi neighborhood of Mea Shearim, in Jerusalem, October 5, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Days away from Israeli elections, a ‘sour mood’ pervades the Haredi street

As their decades-long alliance with the right frays, ultra-Orthodox parties have left their public facing a draft crisis, rising poverty, and political disillusionment.

By Eli Bitan October 15, 2026

Far-right lawmakers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir in the assembly hall of the Knesset, Jerusalem, December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Israel’s far right has unprecedented power. Why isn’t it satisfied?

Having realized many of its once-unthinkable ambitions, the right remains frustrated by what it still can’t achieve — and demands even more violence.

By Meron Rapoport October 12, 2026

Noa Sattath (Courtesy)

PODCAST: Israel’s genocidal government is dissolving. Its legacy is here to stay

ACRI head Noa Sattath reflects on four years of far-right rule, and the paradox of defending democratic institutions in an apartheid state.

By +972 Magazine August 17, 2026

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Ultra-Orthodox men being sprayed with a police water cannon during a protest against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with army draft orders, in Jerusalem, June 1, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Haredi draft revolt threatening to bring Israel to a standstill

As the government seeks to enforce military service for all, ultra-Orthodox refusal is revealing cracks in the country’s militaristic consensus.

By Eli Bitan June 23, 2026

A mural in Tel Aviv shows a young girl embracing an Israeli soldier, July 21, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

PHOTOS: How hypermilitarism pervades everyday life in Israel

From the sacred to the mundane, military imagery suffuses the Israeli public sphere — shaping our imagination, desires, and collective identity.

By Nissi Peli April 10, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ministers and MKs attend a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Netanyahu’s pardon request is a lens into Israel’s political psyche

The prime minister’s refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing mirrors a society conditioned to interpret remorse as weakness and brute force as destiny.

By Meron Rapoport December 10, 2025

Naftali Bennett poses for pictures with supporters while awaiting the arrival of Evyatar David, an Israeli hostage freed from Hamas captivity, outside David’s home in Kfar Saba, October 26, 2025. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Naftali Bennett wants to be Israel’s next PM. First stop: incite against Bedouins

By taking aim at Palestinian communities in Israel's south, Bennett proves he offers little change from the most racist figures in the current government.

By Samah Salaime November 13, 2025

MK Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on violent crime in Israel's Arab society, at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, January 21, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset vs Ayman Odeh

The move to impeach the MK, with the full backing of Jewish opposition lawmakers, sends a message to Palestinian citizens that voting is futile.

By Orly Noy July 2, 2025

Members of the Joint list are seen during celebrations in the headquarters of Joint List in the city of Nazareth, on the night of the Israeli general elections, March 17, 2015. (Akrm Drawshi/Activestills)

What can the Joint List teach us about building Palestinian political power?

Ten years after its formation, this experiment in Palestinian unity inside Israel — and its ultimate collapse — shows the need for carefully cultivated alliances.

By Rida Abu Rass May 23, 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

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews protest businesses that operate on Saturdays , the Jewish day of rest, Jerusalem, June 29, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ultra-Orthodox anger over Western Wall deal isn’t about American Jews

The Israeli government’s decision to abandon a deal creating an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall led to an unprecedented rift with Diaspora Jewry. But American Jews, and the Reform Movement in particular, are merely collateral damage — caught in the crossfire of an internal ultra-Orthodox power struggle. By Eli Bitan With all the…

By +972 Magazine July 6, 2017

A man walks along Israel’s separation wall where it snakes through the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, August 15, 2015. (Micah Bond/Flash90)

The annexation of Palestine could be closer than you think

A perfect storm of domestic Israeli politics combined with the changing of the guard in Washington could create an opportunity for those advocating annexation to finally make their move. Senior Israeli government minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday that he will introduce legislation to effectively annex Israel’s third-largest settlement in the West Bank, Ma’ale Adumim,…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 1, 2017

Labor chairman Isaac Herzog (Photo by Activestills.org)

We need a center-left political alternative in Israel

This is not a time for ideological purity. There is an overriding goal and that is ending the Occupation. By Jeremiah Haber Since the election of Ehud Barak as prime minister in 1999, if not earlier, there has been no center-left in Israel. Of course, there has been something referred to as “center-left” but that…

By +972 Magazine January 25, 2016