Mada al-Carmel – The Arab Center for Applied Social Research has published a new position paper titled “Opposition Parties Offer No Alternative Political Visions in Israel’s Elections,” written by Dr. Mtanes Shihadeh, Director of Mada’s Israel Studies Program.
Israel is currently preparing for new elections. In recent weeks, there has been a significant increase in the pace of preparations by Israeli political parties, particularly opposition parties, as they seek to reorganize their ranks and internal structures. This position paper discusses opposition parties as they build alliances, compete for political leadership, and develop their political platforms. It argues that they are competing in the upcoming elections on the same issues that have characterized their campaigns since 2015: personal attacks on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu based on the criminal cases against him, the government’s plan to impose restrictions on the judiciary, and the question of who bears responsibility for the major security and intelligence failures of October 7, 2023.
The paper makes the case that Israel’s opposition parties do not offer alternative political projects or visions on core political issues to those advanced by right-wing parties, particularly with regard to the occupation and state security, which, until the 2013 elections, were central to Israeli election campaigns. It further highlights that the main distinction between the ruling coalition and the opposition has become centered on domestic issues, including the relationship between religion and the state, the position of ultra-Orthodox parties, military exemptions for students at Jewish religious seminaries, governmental checks and balances, and the status of the judiciary.
To read the paper in English, click here.
To read the paper in Arabic, click here.
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