Israeli Political Scientist Sees Democrats Party Aiming to Influence Change Government Like Religious Zionists
Dr. Gail Telshir, a political science researcher at the Hebrew University, analyzed the newly formed Israeli Democrats party following its primaries. She noted the party represents a blend of Labor, Meretz, and leaders from the anti-judicial reform protests, with a membership size reminiscent of a ruling party. Telshir highlighted that the party’s leadership under Yair Golan has revived a confident Zionist-leftist approach, combining experienced former Knesset members with new figures focused on legislation benefiting peripheral and vulnerable populations rather than extremist views.
Telshir identified three main factions within the Democrats: historic Labor representatives like Naama Lazimi and Yair Fink; Meretz members including Golan, Gilad Kariv, Michal Rozin, and Ali Salalha; and activists from the judicial reform protests. She emphasized that the protest faction’s success will depend on their ability to advance legislation and public discourse beyond protests and parliamentary speeches. Despite ideological differences, the Labor-Meretz union was achieved amid internal struggles, with reserved spots for certain candidates causing some dissatisfaction but ultimately maintained.
Looking ahead, Telshir predicted that if a "change government" forms, the Democrats will seek a central role in shaping policy, unlike Labor’s more marginal role in the Bennett-Lapid government. She compared their potential influence to that of the Religious Zionist party in Netanyahu’s government, which successfully steered policy despite its smaller size. Regarding party list placements, she argued that Naor Narkis’s lower ranking does not necessarily indicate marginalization, given the competitive nature of the primaries.
On foreign policy, Telshir noted Golan’s preference for separation rather than establishing a Palestinian state, with the party likely to promote ties with Gulf states while security issues would be addressed collectively by coalition partners. She concluded that while the Religious Zionists provide a compelling model for a small party leading a government, the Democrats’ success in replicating this influence remains uncertain, especially as the change government’s focus is expected to be on healing and rebuilding the country.
