Fourth Quarter movement moves toward politics, weighs new party or alliance

Thousands of activists from the Fourth Quarter movement voted to formally enter politics ahead of the next election, marking a shift from civic organizing to the parliamentary arena. The movement’s leaders are now deciding whether to register a new independent party or join an existing political platform.

Chairman Yoav Heller is expected to lead the political effort and could become the head of the new body, or of any existing party it joins. He is already in advanced talks with former ministers Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper about possible cooperation and a shared electoral run.

In a message to activists earlier Thursday, the movement said it had gathered “thousands of Fourth Quarter activists” at one of its most significant moments since its founding. It said the vote, held over the previous two days, would soon determine whether the movement would call for creating a party “in its spirit” and how it would operate in the coming months.

The leadership also stressed the group’s participatory model, saying that when the movement was founded, the vision was that every activist would have power, every person would have “a share,” and the future would be decided collectively. It added that the result would not change the fact that many Israelis want “different politics” and prefer “trust, strength and cohesion” over “despair and polarization.”

The Fourth Quarter movement was founded in 2022 as a social grassroots organization aimed at building new political power based on broad consensus. Its name comes from Heller’s theory that Israel is now in the fourth quarter of its national life, between its 75th and 100th years, a period he describes as historically critical. The movement says its mission is to help secure Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic and prosperous state through politics of partnership.