Of the 40+ parties running in Israel’s elections on April 9, fewer than 15 are projected to secure 3.25 percent of the vote – the necessary threshold to make it into the Knesset. The parties expected to run in the upcoming elections are:
Achrayut L’Meyasdim (Responsibility for the Founders) – Led by Chaim Dayan, the party focuses on the civil and economic rights of senior citizens. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Ani v’Ata (Me and You) – Led by Alon Giladi, Ani v’Ata refers to itself as the “party of the Jewish people.” It seeks to weaken the ruling elite and protect the rights and voice of the middle class. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Betach (Social Security) – Led by Semion Grafman, a Russian-Israeli who spent a year in U.S. federal prison for money laundering – Betach stands for assisting ordinary Israelis fight bureaucracy and corruption and improving education and social welfare. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Bible Bloc (Mifleget HaGush HaTanachi) – The #1 ranked candidate of this party, also known as Ketz (End), is Dennis Avi Lipkin, who is an Anglo. The Bible Bloc is a joint Jewish-Christian list that hopes to gain support from Christian Arabs as well as non-Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union and their spouses. Lipkin was quoted as saying that the party’s goal is “to promote the Jewish-Christian alliance and togetherness.” The party also wishes to prepare Israel for a mass aliyah of American Jews that it predicts will occur after Muslim extremists seize power in the United States. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Blue and White (Kachol Lavan) – This party was created for the 2019 election as a political alliance between Chosen L’Yisrael (Benny Gantz), Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid), and Telem (Moshe Ya’alon). It is widely regarded as a center-left party. Expected to win: 30-32 Knesset seats.
Brit Olam – Founded by Ofer Lifshitz in 2005, Brit Olam is a Jewish-Arab party that supports the creation of a Palestinian state and works to improve relations between Jews and Israeli Arabs. It supports a secular state not influenced by religion and calls for raising the minimum wage and improving the educational system. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Chinuch (Education) – Led by Adir Zaltzer, this party seeks investment in education for Israeli children. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Eretz Yisrael Shelanu – Founded by Raphael Levengrund, whose daughter was murdered by a terrorist in 2018, this party focuses on representing the interests of those overlooked by the larger parties, especially the elderly, families of fallen soldiers, terror victims, and citizens living far from metropolitan areas. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Gesher – This party has one seat in the current Knesset. Its #1 ranked candidate is Orly Levy-Abekasis, who split from Yisrael Beiteinu in 2018 in order to focus on socio-economic issues. Gesher maintains right wing positions on security issues. Expected to win: 0-4 Knesset seats.
Hadash-Ta’al – This party has six seats in the current Knesset. Its #1 ranked candidate is Ayman Odeh. Hadash is a far-left mixed Arab-Jewish list. Hadash was among the first parties to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It calls for equality between Arab and Jewish citizens in Israel. Ta’al is a secular Israeli-Arab party led by Ahmad Tibi. Expected to win: 6-9 Knesset seats.
HaYamin HeChadash (New Right) – Formed by former Bayit Yehudi heads Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, the party opposes land-for-peace concessions and supports Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. Its #6 ranked candidate is former Jewish Press columnist Caroline Glick. Expected to win: 5-7 Knesset seats.
HaTikva Le’shinui (Hope for Change) – Led by Raami Mahmid, this party mainly focuses on full equality for, and integration of, Israeli-Arabs. It favors negotiations with the Palestinians and aims to strengthen the status of women. In 2015, HaTikva Le’shinui got 1,519 votes. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Ichud Bnei HaBrit (United Alliance) – Originally named Bnei Brit HaHadasha (“Sons of the New Testament”), Ichud Bnei HaBrit is led by Bishara Shalian and represents Arabic-speaking Christians in Israel. It supports creation of a Palestinian state as well as Arabic-speaking Christians serving in the IDF. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Kalkala Yeruka – Medina Achat (Green Economy – One Nation) – Led by Yoav Gal Tamir, this party is essentially the old Da’am (workers’) party: a left-wing Jewish-Arab political alliance calling for workers’ rights, Jewish-Arab co-existence, and gender equality. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Kevod HaAdam (Human Dignity) – Led by Arkadi Fugitz, Kevod HaAdam supports a free economy and is committed to ensuring that the majority of the world’s Jewish population lives in Israel. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Kol Yisrael Achim (All of Israel Are Brothers) – Led by former MK Aleli Adamsu, Kol Yisrael Achim represents Jewish-Ethiopian immigrants. It supports social equality and helping immigrants. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Kulanu – This party has 10 seats in the current Knesset. Its #1 ranked candidate is Moshe Kahlon, Israel’s current Finance Minister. Kulanu’s main focus is social equality and lowering the cost of living, including the cost of housing. It is regarded as a centrist party and supports the charedi draft bill as well as the Jewish nation-state bill. Expected to win: 4-5 Knesset seats.
Labor – Led by Avi Gabbay, the party has 19 seats in the current Knesset. Labor is a left-wing party that supports a two-state solution as a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Expected to win: 8-10 Knesset seats.
Likud – Led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this party has 30 seats in the current Knesset. Likud is a secular, right-leaning party. It supports a free market economy and values Jewish culture in Israel. It officially opposes a Palestinian state. Expected to win: 27-31 Knesset seats.
Magen – Led by retired IDF Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch, Magen is right-wing on security issues and foreign affairs and left-wing on economic and social issues. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Manhigut Chevratit (Social Leadership) – This party, led by Ilan Mashicha, focuses on justice, human dignity, liberty, and obligating parties to keep the promises they made to their constituents. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Me’Hatchala (From the Beginning) – Led by David Erez Einav, this party supports voting directly for Knesset members instead of parties. Its primary focus is improving social services for Israeli citizens. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Meretz – Known for its support of a two-state solution and freezing Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, Meretz strong supports “social justice,” human rights, and environmental consciousness. It has five seats in the current Knesset. Expected to win: 5-6 Knesset seats.
Mifleget HaEzrachim HaVatikim (Senior Citizens Party, also known as The Pensioners Party) – Led by Shalom Amit Saar, the party focuses on representing older Israelis’ needs and concerns. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Na Nach – Led by Ilan Bronson, the party is affiliated with Breslover chassidim. Its platform calls for defeating terrorism, encouraging a free and competitive economy, developing creative solutions for treating children with ADHD, and educating youth about the legacy of Rav Nachman of Breslov. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Ofek Chadash (New Horizon) – Led by Salman Abu Ahmed, Ofek Chadash is a centrist party concerned with social issues, such as housing shortages, in the Arab-Israeli community. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Pashut Ahava (Simply Love) – Led by Ruth Lillian Weisberger, Pashut Ahava is a broad-based multicultural party. Its platform emphasizes “compassion and empathy for all human beings.” It favors negotiating with Palestinians, combating violence against women, and ensuring equal rights for all. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Ra’am/Bal’ad (United Arab List) – It has six seats in the current Knesset; its #1 ranked candidate is Mansour Abbas. Expected to win: 0-4 Knesset seats.
Shas – Led by Arye Deri, Shas represents the Sephardi population, which, it claims, faces economic and social discrimination. It has seven seats in the current Knesset. Expected to win: 4-6 Knesset seats.
Shavim (Equality) – Led by Mirit Entebi, this party focuses on education, paying particular attention to the special education sector. Its primary goal is encouraging employment and reducing gaps in Israeli society. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
The Arab List – Led by Mohammed Kanaan, this nationalist party focuses on the rights and concerns of Arabs.
The Pirate Party – Led by Noam Kuzar, The Pirate Party is a parody, meant to poke fun at the government. In 2013, 2,076 votes were cast for the Pirate Party. In 2015, it received 895 votes. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Tzedek Chevrati (Social Justice) – First established in 2007 by Russian millionaire businessman Arcadi Gaydamak, the party, led by Yoni Sapir, promotes social justice for the disabled, elderly, and children and environmental issues such as renewable sources of energy and global warming. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Tzedek L’kol (Justice for All) – Led by Yaacov Cassidy, the party demands the protection of animals, both in wildlife and in farming, insuring humanitarian conditions in animal husbandry, hormone use, slaughtering, etc. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Tzomet (Junction) – Tzomet was a practically defunct party until it was resurrected by former Likud MK Oren Hazan, who is perhaps best known for ambushing world leaders to take selfies with them. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Yisrael Beytenu (Israel Our Home) – It has five seats in the current Knesset and is led by Avigdor Lieberman. The party was initially created to attract Russian-Israeli voters. Similar to Likud in a number of respects, Yisrael Beytenu takes a hard-line position on negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. As a secular party, it supports drafting yeshiva students and keeping public transportation and retail stores open on Shabbat. Expected to win: 0-5 Knesset seats.
Union of Right Wing Parties (Bayit Yehudi, Ichud Leumi, Otzma Yehudit) – Its #1 ranked candidate is Rafi Peretz. Bayit Yehudi carries the flag of religious Zionism. Oztma Yehudit is thought to represent the teachings of Rabbi Meir Kahane. Expected to win: 5-7 Knesset seats.
United Torah Judaism (Yahadut HaTorah) – It has six seats in the current Knesset and represents charedi Jews. Its #1 ranked candidate is Ya’acov Litzman. UTJ’s main agenda is maintaining the status quo in matters of religion and state. It has lobbied against the draft law that would affect the ability of charedi yeshiva students to avoid the draft. Expected to win: 6-7 Knesset seats.
Yashar (Straight) – Led by Yuval Carniel, Yashar supports direct election of Knesset members. Its distinctive approach calls for a smartphone app that has the capacity to poll party members about pending legislation. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Zechuteinu BeK’oleinu (Our Rights Are in Our Voices) – Led by Gil Roter, this party aims to enhance the working conditions of those in the law enforcement sector. Expected to win: 0 Knesset seats.
Zehut – Led by Moshe Feiglin, Zehut is a nationalist libertarian party. It supports a one-state solution and emphasizes increased freedom for citizens, the privatization of selected government services, and the legalization of marijuana. Expected to win: 4-6 Knesset seats.