Israeli Politics Shifts From Ideology to Personality, Diminishing Party Platforms
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
Eleven of Israel's 17 major parties have published detailed platforms for the 2026 elections, an increase from previous years, with the Likud party releasing one for the first time in 17 years. However, party platforms are generally declining in importance globally and in Israel, shifting focus to personal leadership over ideology. A new app, 'Don't Vote Without a Platform,' aims to increase voter engagement with policy documents by ranking parties based on their platform's detail and comprehensiveness.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Eleven of 17 major Israeli parties have published detailed platforms for the 2026 elections, a notable increase from previous years.
- Party platforms are declining in importance globally and in Israel, with politics becoming more personal and less ideological.
- The ruling Likud party released a detailed election platform for the first time in 17 years.
- Social media trends and a strengthening of tribalism in Israeli politics contribute to the reduced focus on party platforms.
- A new app, 'Don't Vote Without a Platform,' aims to make party platforms more accessible and rank parties by their detail.
In the lead-up to the 2026 elections, 11 out of 17 major parties have published detailed platforms, a significant improvement from previous years where only 4 to 5 did so. Notably, the ruling Likud party released a platform for the first time in 17 years. Despite this trend, party platforms have generally declined in importance over the past decade, a phenomenon observed globally.
Dr. Assaf Shapira, head of the Political Reform Program at the Israel Democracy Institute, explains that politics has become less ideological and more personal worldwide, with a greater focus on party leaders rather than party ideologies. This shift is particularly evident in economic policy, where traditional left-right divides based on welfare, education, and housing have blurred. Even on security and diplomatic issues, clear distinctions between major parties are often hard to discern, making detailed platforms less relevant.
Historically, strong party mechanisms and large memberships influenced party agendas. For instance, the Labor Party in the mid-1970s had a quarter-million members. However, Shapira notes a connection between the weakening of left-wing party institutions, like labor unions, and the decline of ideological platforms. Modern policy documents are often brief, lacking the depth of past platforms.
The rise of social media has also contributed to this trend, with short videos and soundbites replacing in-depth policy discussions. While some countries like the UK, Austria, and the Netherlands still engage in public discourse and media coverage of party platforms, the trend of diminishing importance is present there too.
Shapira also points to a strengthening of tribalism in Israeli politics, making voters less likely to shift allegiances. In response to this decline in platform engagement, social entrepreneurs Dani Gigi and Amir Salmon have developed the app 'Lo Bokhrim Bli Mitzah' (Don't Vote Without a Platform) to make party platforms more accessible and highlight parties that fail to publish them. The app ranks parties based on platform detail, scope, and timelines, with some parties scoring high while others, including major religious and Arab parties, have published nothing or very little.
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