Israeli Parties Receive State Funding for Election Campaigns

Israeli political parties have begun receiving state funds to finance their upcoming election campaigns, with the largest advance going to the Likud party, which received 37 million shekels. Other major parties also received substantial advances: Yesh Atid received 32 million shekels, Shas 16.14 million, and Benny Gantz's National Unity Party 9.7 million shekels, according to the publication Calcalist. The amount of state funding is calculated based on the number of Knesset seats a party held in the previous Knesset, with each seat qualifying for 80% of a funding unit, which is set at 1.835 million shekels. This results in an advance of approximately 1.468 million shekels per seat. The actual amount disbursed can be reduced if a party has outstanding debts or state loans; for instance, Likud's payment accounted for a deduction of previous debts. Other parties receiving funds include Yisrael Beiteinu (7.2 million shekels), Religious Zionism (8.8 million), Otzma Yehudit (6.9 million), the Labor Party (4.3 million), Agudat Yisrael (3.7 million), Degel HaTorah (3.3 million), Hadash (4.4 million), Ra'am (4.3 million), and Ta'al (2.9 million). Parties without prior Knesset representation can also receive advances, but these are contingent on guarantees, and the state can reclaim the funds if the party fails to cross the electoral threshold. For example, Gadi Eisenkot's The Israelis party received 3.67 million shekels with a potential increase to 18.4 million. The final funding amounts will be determined after the October 27 elections, with adjustments made based on the average number of seats held before and after the vote, minus advances already paid. Parties that do not pass the electoral threshold but secure over 1% of the vote will receive one funding unit. Any overpayments will need to be reimbursed. This comes as political parties collectively owe the Knesset nearly 250 million shekels in loans from past campaigns, with some parties potentially unable to repay these debts.