Explainer: Israel's parties fighting to enter next Knesset

As Israel approaches its fifth election in less than four years, smaller parties are fighting for a seat in the parliament, the Knesset. Will they cross the threshold and have representation in Jerusalem?

In part one, i24NEWS international affairs correspondent Batya Levinthal looked at the biggest political parties in the Jewish state.

Part two examines Labor, Meretz, Jewish Home, Yisrael Beitenu, Ra'am and Hadash/Ta'al.

Labor

Commonly known as "HaAvoda" - Labor is a center-left political party. HaAvoda campaigns for pragmatic foreign affairs policies as well as a socially-democratic economy. It supports same-sex marriage, surrogacy for gay couples, the legalization of cannabis, and public transportation on the Sabbath. The Labor party also backs an independent, demilitarized Palestinian state - while supporting Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Labor’s voters tend to include many in Israel’s urban and middle-class societies.

Meretz

Meretz - meaning "vigor" - is Israel’s most prominent left-wing political party. It was formed prior to the 1992 Israeli parliamentary election by an alliance of three left-wing political parties. Meretz is a Zionist, progressive, social-democratic and secular party. It supports social justice, human rights, and religious freedom. It stands behind a two-state solution, and advocates for freezing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It is also a massive backer of green politics and environmentalism. The left-wing party has received most of its support over the years mainly from residents in central Israel.

Jewish Home

Ayelet Shaked moved from initially serving as a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party in 2012 to joining the Jewish Home party, forming the New Right party, and then the Yamina party to returning to head the Jewish Home. Throughout her political career - Shaked has also been geared toward leading strong right-wing and far-right parties. Jewish Home believes in strengthening the Jewish identity and promoting Jewish immigration. The party opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and any withdrawal from the West Bank. It aims to develop settlements throughout the country and apply Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank. It holds a zero tolerance toward terrorism and pushes for economic liberalism.

Yisrael Beiteinu

Avigdor Liberman may not be the kingmaker in this election but he certainly has been a key player in the government’s instability. Liberman was a long-time Benjamin Netanyahu ally but in 2018 defected to the anti-Netanyahu camp. Today, he heads the secular, right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party that he founded in 1999. The party - which translates to Israel is our Home - has, in the most recent election campaign, become very vocal in refusing to sit in any government with Netanyahu. Yisrael Beiteinu is deeply rooted in nationalism. It supports mandatory military draft and a security policy based on preemptive action. The party advocates for the death penalty for terrorists. It also supports Jewish settlements and is against a two-state solution. Yisrael Beiteinu favors a liberal economy and supports a decrease in regulations. The party's base is in large-part secular Russian-speaking Israelis, but support from that demographic is in decline.

Ra'am

The Israeli-Arab Mansour Abbas proved in Israel’s last election that he is a force to be reckoned with. In 2007, Abbas became secretary general of the United Arab List - also known by its Hebrew acryonym as the Ra’am party. But it was only in 2019 that he became the face of the party in Israel’s elections. The Arab party is an Islamic Party that ideologically tends to hover around the far-left of the political spectrum. Ra’am was once a part of the Joint List - a merger of three Arab parties. In the buildup to the 2021 elections, it split from the Joint List and became the first Arab party ever to join a governing coalition. In doing so, he also recognized the Jewish origin of the state of Israel. Ra’am supports a two-state solution, creating a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with east Jerusalem as its capital. It aims to release Palestinian prisoners, and backs Palestinian refugees' right to return. The party also advocates for recognizing Israeli Arabs as a national minority, seeking to ensure their rights in a constitution. Its constituency consists mostly of religious Islamists or nationalist Israeli Arabs.

Hadash-Ta'al

Ayman Odeh has risen in rank since entering the world of politics around two decades ago. In 1988, he joined Hadash - a far-left non-Zionist Arab party. And since 2006 Odeh has been its secretary-general. Odeh was also the face of the Joint List - the 2015 merger made up of Hadash and three other Arab parties. Today, the Joint List has been dismantled but a joint run still exists between Hadash and the smaller but more center-left Ta'al party. Both parties support a Palestinian state but their views differ slightly. Ta’al supports an independent Palestinian state, while Hadash supports a two-state solution. The parties advocate for the evacuation of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and a return to the pre-1967 borders. It also campaigns for the Palestinian right of return and is a strong supporter of a socialist economy, workers' rights, as well as environmental issues. Hadash’s voters are primarily middle-class and secular Arabs from Israel’s north and Christian communities. But it also draws thousands of far-left Jewish voters during elections.