New Initiative "Choose Wisely" Analyzes Knesset Candidates' Backgrounds

A new independent social initiative called "Choose Wisely" (Boherim Khakham) has launched a digital platform to provide voters with comprehensive data on candidates running for the 26th Knesset. The project aims to shift the focus of election discourse from party leaders and poll numbers to the individuals who will ultimately serve as lawmakers. The platform analyzes candidates in realistic positions on party lists, offering neutral information on their education, professional backgrounds, and other personal details.

According to the initiative's data, lawyers are expected to constitute over one-fifth of the next Knesset, with 27 such candidates identified among the top 120. The Otzma Yehudit party leads in this category with three realistic candidates. Individuals with backgrounds in education are also projected to make up about a fifth of the Knesset. Notably, the Democratic party has no realistic candidates with an education background, while the Democrats, the Joint List, and Ra'am boast 100% of their realistic candidates holding higher education degrees. Shas, in contrast, has 50%.

Approximately a quarter of the potential Knesset members, or 31 out of 120, come from local government positions, including six former mayors or council heads. Around 15 candidates are former senior security officials, including lieutenant colonels and above, as well as high-ranking Mossad and Shin Bet personnel. Six of these security-focused candidates are with the Yachad party. Additionally, 38 candidates served in combat roles.

The candidate pool shows a generational gap, with young candidates like Yonatan Shilo, 24, and older figures such as Haim Katz, 79, and Benjamin Netanyahu, 77. The most common age group among realistic candidates is 40-49, with 38 individuals, while the 20-29 age bracket is relatively rare, featuring only one or two candidates.

The initiative also highlights that six realistic candidates have lost a first-degree relative in the recent war. Among them are Gadi Eisenkot of Yachad, whose son fell in Gaza, and Shira Shapira of Yachad, whose son was killed on October 7th. Two realistic candidates from Yisrael Beiteinu have lost family members: Rafi Ben Shitrit, whose son fell on October 7th, and Sharon Sharabi, whose brother was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas. The Likud party has Talik Guili, whose son fell and was kidnapped, and Michale Hirsch Negri from the Democratic party, whose son fell in battle. The data also notes that 12.5% of realistic candidates reside in the West Bank, a disproportionately high representation compared to their share of the national population. Conversely, the Haifa region is underrepresented, with only 1.7% of candidates residing there despite making up 11.7% of the population.