Small Parties Fall Short in Elections, Haskel Misses Knesset

With over 77% of votes counted in the recent elections, it is clear that former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sharon Haskel, who ran with the "Israel First" party, will not enter the Knesset. Haskel's party merged with "Ale Yarok" (Green Leaf), but together they garnered only 740 votes as of Wednesday morning, failing to cross the electoral threshold.

In a hypothetical scenario where elections were held solely in Ein Qiniya in the Golan Heights, Haskel would have placed second, behind Avigdor Lieberman, receiving 110 votes. This result is attributed to her fourth-place position on the list, which is typically reserved for the head of the local council.

The disappointing outcome for Haskel follows her departure from the "Tikva Hadasha" party and her subsequent alliance with "Ale Yarok," a move intended to create a new political force.

Other small parties also struggled to gain traction. The "Tzedek" party, led by Eitan Shovili, known as Chersher, received 1,456 votes (0.04% of the total counted) based on 70% of the vote count. Chersher secured 76 votes in Haifa. The Pirates party, a perennial contender, received 650 votes. Several other parties, including Noam, Tzomet Beit Yisrael, and Partnership for All, also fell below the electoral threshold.

Despite withdrawing from the race a week prior, Benny Gantz still received four votes from voters in Nahariya, Nazareth, Shefar'am, and Ein Harod Ichud. These votes may have come from double envelopes, as some voters cast their ballots before Gantz's withdrawal.