Tuesday was election day in Israel. But no winner has yet been declared. As of this writing, it appears that the parties committed to supporting Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister will not win a majority in Knesset. At the same time, the opposition parties ostensibly committed to ousting him will also fall short of a…
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in a battle for political survival after exit polls following Tuesday’s election showed the race too close to call and the Israeli leader’s decade-long grip on power weakened. Netanyahu’s main election challenger, centrist party chief Benny Gantz, said on Wednesday it appeared from the exit polls that…
There’s a story that helps me explain to people why Palestinian citizens of Israel like myself don’t vote in Israeli elections. Mahatma Gandhi was once asked, “What do you think of Western civilization?” “I think it would be a good idea,” Gandhi replied. That’s how we Palestinian citizens of Israel feel about Israeli democracy. And…
Tuesday’s election in Israel may seem like a straightforward choice, with right wing nationalist Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu challenged by the next biggest party, the head of the Center-Left bloc, Blue and White, helmed by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid. But in truth, it’s a lot more complicated. As we saw in April, the…
When Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s déjà vu all over again,” he wasn’t talking about the Israeli elections. But he might as well have been. Israelis return to the polls on Tuesday, less than six months after doing so in April. Why is this happening? What’s at stake? Who’s going to win? We’ve got you…
When you have seen as many Israeli elections as I have, patterns repeat. Every party spends a few months feeling out their electorate, dramatically overplaying the dangers of their opponents, and fighting internal battles for leadership. In the final month, you get TV ads, building-sized posters, overblown and suspiciously timed leaks, dramatic yet empty policy…
Jodi Rudoren, the Forward’s brand-new Editor-in-Chief, covered not one but two Israeli elections (2013 and 2015) during her tenure as Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times. Now, with Israelis heading to the polls next Tuesday for the second time in less than six months, Jodi is ready to answer your questions about Israeli…
The tempest over Israel’s travel ban on two congresswomen and the year-long roller coaster of back-to-back elections has unleashed an avalanche of misplaced condemnations and hand-wringing about the health of the country’s democracy. Yet democratic life in Israel remains remarkably strong and resilient. For starters, democratic and liberal norms continue to predominate. Voter turnout, contestation,…
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