Thirteen Female Local Leaders Urge Israeli Parties to Alternate Gender in Knesset Candidate Lists

Thirteen women serving as heads of local and regional authorities in Israel have signed a petition from the 5050 Initiative demanding that political parties alternate men and women on their candidate lists for the 26th Knesset elections. The petition, signed about two weeks before the candidate list submission deadline, calls for gender parity throughout the lists to improve democratic representation. Over 6,000 individuals have supported the initiative so far.

Among the signatories are Lin Kaplan, head of Tel Mond Council and chair of the Local Government Gender Equality Committee, and other female leaders from councils such as Oranit, Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal, and Ganei Tikva. They emphasize that diverse leadership leads to better policy decisions and that the upcoming elections present an opportunity to correct the current underrepresentation of women in the Knesset and key decision-making bodies.

The petition comes after most parties have completed their internal primaries, revealing significant disparities in female representation. For example, the Democratic list is the only one with an alternating gender pattern, the party led by Gadi Eisenkot has pledged 50% women candidates, and the party headed by Naftali Bennett has a female majority. Conversely, the Likud party’s top 20 list spots include only two women, the Religious Zionist party expects just one woman, and some parties like the ultra-Orthodox factions have no women candidates. Arab parties also face the prospect of minimal female representation.

The female leaders sent personalized letters to party heads urging them to commit to gender parity, highlighting their firsthand experience in governance and the democratic necessity of equal representation. Lin Kaplan stated that these elections are a chance to address the systemic underrepresentation of women in government and decision-making forums. Yael Yahieli, CEO of the 5050 Initiative, called on the public to join the growing number of supporters demanding gender-equal candidate lists from all party leaders.