Russian Speakers Largely Absent from Next Israeli Knesset

The upcoming 26th Knesset will see a significantly reduced representation of Russian-speaking Israelis, a trend that has been developing over recent election cycles. For decades following the large wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s, major Israeli parties sought to appeal to this demographic by including Russian speakers on their electoral lists. However, this approach has waned, leading to a steady decline in the number of Russian-speaking Knesset members.

In the outgoing Knesset, seven lawmakers were from the Commonwealth of Independent States. Now, with Russian speakers comprising about 13% of Israel's population, their representation is expected to shrink further. Within the current coalition parties, only Ze'ev Elkin of the Likud, currently at a non-viable 32nd spot, might enter the Knesset if Netanyahu forms the next government. Prime Minister Netanyahu's attempt to address this in an interview with Channel 9, stating he was speaking with a representative from the Commonwealth, did not resonate well online.

The "change bloc" parties fare slightly better but still show a decline. Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashat" party has one Russian-speaking candidate, Alex Riff, in a realistic position. In Naftali Bennett's "Achva" party, Vladimir Beliak, praised for his work in the Finance Committee, is placed at 16th, considered unlikely to secure a seat. Social entrepreneur Olessia Kantor is at 25th, also not a realistic position. Russian-speaking candidates were marginalized in the primaries of the Democratic party and will not be represented by Yair Golan.

Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, historically a home for many in the "Russian street," also appears to be distancing itself from the community. After Lieberman himself, the next Russian-speaking candidate is Yulia Malinowski in fifth place. Deputy Knesset Speaker Evgeny Sova, placed eighth, expressed his disappointment, calling it an "unpleasant surprise" from his own party, contrasting it with expected blows from rivals. Alvira Kolichman, deputy mayor of Lod, is in ninth place.

This shift in Yisrael Beiteinu is likely due to party leader Lieberman's aspirations for the premiership, aiming to shed the perception of his party being solely reliant on votes from elderly Russian speakers in nursing homes. Some explanations for the decline of Russian speakers in politics point to the sector being pushed to the national agenda's periphery. However, sharp criticism is also directed at the Russian-speaking community itself for perceived passivity, lack of initiative, and poor cohesion compared to other Israeli sectors. Marina Kigel, a digital strategy expert, questioned whether the community actively supported their candidates or resorted to criticizing them, asking, "Why aren't we there?"