Elections

"You have hurt the image of public service and public faith in it. You acted in a conflict of interests, you abused your authority while taking into account other considerations that relate to your personal interests and the interests of your family. You corrupted public servants working under you." These statements encapsulate the allegations in the severe draft of charge – or charge pending hearing – the Israeli attorney general sent Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on February 27, 2019.

Prior to the March 17th elections, much of the public discourse was focused on the question as to whether the elections will bring about a political change in Israel. In the latest round of Jerusalem Talks, we discussed the future social and political opportunities for the Israeli society.

Over 200,000 people with no legal status live in Israel today. There are another 4 million in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. All of these people are directly affected by Israeli elections but they have not right to vote. This is what they have to say — about the Right and the Left, the ‘demographic threat,’ peace, war, democracy and dictatorship (+972 Magazine).  

The ‘Zionist Camp’ needs the Arab parties in order to form a government. Its decision to vote for disqualifying Zoabi makes that support less and less likely (+972 Magazine).

Stav Shafir, the youngest Member of Knesset, scored a major political achievement last week, coming in second at the Labor Party primary elections. While many newly elected MKs tend to fade into the back rows of the opposition, Shafir, elected at age 27, has shined. (History Central)The following Interview does not formally represent an official endorsement or view of The Heinrich Böll Foundation Israel.

The German Election Campaign 2013 was focused on the alternative between the continuation of the conservative-liberal coalition of CDU and FDP or a renewed Red-Green alliance striving to bring the Green Party and the Social Democrats back into power. Both alternatives vanished into thin air on Sunday night. The Liberals did not meet the parliamentarian threshold of 5% and the Greens and Social Democrats were high below the overwhelming victory of Merkel’s conservative party alliance.      

The results of the elections to the 19th Knesset hold a potential for a significant change in the gender thinking of Israel’s legislative body. Out of 120 parliamentarians, 27 women will be serving in the Knesset - the largest number of women MKs since the establishment of the state. What are the necessary conditions for bringing this potential to fruition? Anat Saragusti outlines the gender dimension of the Knesset election results.