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I thought this might be an interesting thread to start. What are the primary concerns of the average Israeli in this election? Who do you think will do well? What coalitions are likely? What rabbits will Netanyahu pull from his hat to hang on to power?
Haaretz has a link to "build your own coalition" - based on current polling that's kind of fun:
Latest polls: Israel election 2019
Blue and White party and Likud are neck and neck.
Blue and White
The party was established to run in the April 2019 Knesset elections by the Israel Resilience Party, Yesh Atid, and Telem, [8] in hopes of defeating the current PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Blue and White defines itself as a pluralistic party representing all citizens on the political and religious spectrums.[9] The phrase "blue and white" refers to the colors of the Israeli flag, and is colloquially used to describe something as being typically Israeli.[10]
The central tenets of the Blue and White party platform include: introducing prime ministerial term limits, barring indicted politicians from serving in the Knesset, amending the Nation-State Law to include Israeli minorities, investing in early education, expanding health care, and re-entering negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a peace agreement.[11]
It's hard to find a good description of Likud's platform, but this is from 2015 and seems pretty clear:
Likud
This is from the April Elections but gives an interesting synopsis of each party:
Haaretz has a link to "build your own coalition" - based on current polling that's kind of fun:
Latest polls: Israel election 2019
Blue and White party and Likud are neck and neck.
Blue and White
The party was established to run in the April 2019 Knesset elections by the Israel Resilience Party, Yesh Atid, and Telem, [8] in hopes of defeating the current PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Blue and White defines itself as a pluralistic party representing all citizens on the political and religious spectrums.[9] The phrase "blue and white" refers to the colors of the Israeli flag, and is colloquially used to describe something as being typically Israeli.[10]
The central tenets of the Blue and White party platform include: introducing prime ministerial term limits, barring indicted politicians from serving in the Knesset, amending the Nation-State Law to include Israeli minorities, investing in early education, expanding health care, and re-entering negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a peace agreement.[11]
Likud
Position in the polls: 22-27
English website: onlythelikud.org.il/home/
Diplomatic platform: Party leader Netanyahu says the next government’s priority must be preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear capability, by turning world opinion in favor of maintaining and expanding economic and diplomatic sanctions against Tehran. The Likud is willing to make compromises for peace – concessions accompanied by real and dependable diplomatic arrangements. But Netanyahu has spoken out against further withdrawals from land, further releases of terrorists from prisons or dividing Jerusalem in any way.
Socioeconomic platform: Calls for a “free market economy with social sensitivity.” Says that to remain competitive in a global market, there is a need for budgetary discipline, lowering taxes, an effectively managed stock market and growth of the private sector. Netanyahu promised on Wednesday that in his next term, he would implement State Comptroller Joseph Shapira’s recommendations for ending the housing crisis and improve benefits for the self-employed.
English website: onlythelikud.org.il/home/
Diplomatic platform: Party leader Netanyahu says the next government’s priority must be preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear capability, by turning world opinion in favor of maintaining and expanding economic and diplomatic sanctions against Tehran. The Likud is willing to make compromises for peace – concessions accompanied by real and dependable diplomatic arrangements. But Netanyahu has spoken out against further withdrawals from land, further releases of terrorists from prisons or dividing Jerusalem in any way.
Socioeconomic platform: Calls for a “free market economy with social sensitivity.” Says that to remain competitive in a global market, there is a need for budgetary discipline, lowering taxes, an effectively managed stock market and growth of the private sector. Netanyahu promised on Wednesday that in his next term, he would implement State Comptroller Joseph Shapira’s recommendations for ending the housing crisis and improve benefits for the self-employed.
This is from the April Elections but gives an interesting synopsis of each party:
More than a dozen parties could make the next Knesset. Here’s a short description of each of them.
The front-runners:
Likud, Israel’s right-wing flagship, and Netanyahu’s party, opposes a Palestinian state, supports settlements and encourages privatization in the economy — but its main selling point is the longtime prime minister, who is seeking his fifth term.
Blue and White is a new centrist coalition led by a former military chief of staff, Benny Gantz. It was created to oppose Netanyahu and his alleged corruption.
Supporting actors on the right:
The New Right is kind of like Likud on steroids: Led by the prominent figures Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, the party staunchly opposes Palestinian statehood and supports settlement growth, and features a very hawkish defense policy — what its platform calls an “iron fist” against Israel’s enemies.
Jewish Home-Jewish Power is the controversial union between a religious Zionist party and a far-right party, also known as Otzma Yehudit, that supports implementing religious law and waging “total war” on Israel’s enemies.
Israel Beiteinu champions the interests of Russian-speaking immigrants, along with a hard-line defense policy that calls for the execution of terrorists.
Kulanu is a center-right party focused on lowering Israel’s high cost of living.
Zehut is an unusual mix: libertarian — and in favor of marijuana legalization — but strongly against Palestinian statehood and Arab-Israeli equality.
Supporting actors on the left:
Labor is the sad trombone of Israeli politics. Once the left-wing flagship and largest party in the country, it’s now an also-ran to Blue and White.
Meretz is about as far left as you can go while remaining Zionist, supporting a Palestinian state alongside Israel along with minority rights and religious pluralism within Israel.
Haredi Orthodox:
United Torah Judaism is the Ashkenazi haredi party — the guys (they’re all guys) who support Orthodox control of Israel’s religious life, oppose mandatory army service for their followers and speak Yiddish.
Shas is the Sephardi haredi party — the guys (again, all guys) who stand for religious traditionalism as well as the rights of Israel’s Mizrahi (Middle Eastern and North African) Jewish population.
Arab Israeli:
Hadash-Taal supports Palestinian statehood and advocates for Israel’s Arab minority.
Balad-Raam supports Israel being a secular state for all its citizens and no longer a Jewish state.
— Ben Sales
The front-runners:
Likud, Israel’s right-wing flagship, and Netanyahu’s party, opposes a Palestinian state, supports settlements and encourages privatization in the economy — but its main selling point is the longtime prime minister, who is seeking his fifth term.
Blue and White is a new centrist coalition led by a former military chief of staff, Benny Gantz. It was created to oppose Netanyahu and his alleged corruption.
Supporting actors on the right:
The New Right is kind of like Likud on steroids: Led by the prominent figures Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, the party staunchly opposes Palestinian statehood and supports settlement growth, and features a very hawkish defense policy — what its platform calls an “iron fist” against Israel’s enemies.
Jewish Home-Jewish Power is the controversial union between a religious Zionist party and a far-right party, also known as Otzma Yehudit, that supports implementing religious law and waging “total war” on Israel’s enemies.
Israel Beiteinu champions the interests of Russian-speaking immigrants, along with a hard-line defense policy that calls for the execution of terrorists.
Kulanu is a center-right party focused on lowering Israel’s high cost of living.
Zehut is an unusual mix: libertarian — and in favor of marijuana legalization — but strongly against Palestinian statehood and Arab-Israeli equality.
Supporting actors on the left:
Labor is the sad trombone of Israeli politics. Once the left-wing flagship and largest party in the country, it’s now an also-ran to Blue and White.
Meretz is about as far left as you can go while remaining Zionist, supporting a Palestinian state alongside Israel along with minority rights and religious pluralism within Israel.
Haredi Orthodox:
United Torah Judaism is the Ashkenazi haredi party — the guys (they’re all guys) who support Orthodox control of Israel’s religious life, oppose mandatory army service for their followers and speak Yiddish.
Shas is the Sephardi haredi party — the guys (again, all guys) who stand for religious traditionalism as well as the rights of Israel’s Mizrahi (Middle Eastern and North African) Jewish population.
Arab Israeli:
Hadash-Taal supports Palestinian statehood and advocates for Israel’s Arab minority.
Balad-Raam supports Israel being a secular state for all its citizens and no longer a Jewish state.
— Ben Sales