Elections are Coming. They Must Be Free and Fair.
The first preliminary bill to dissolve the Knesset ahead of looming elections passed yesterday. The announcement, while both expected and anxiously awaited, comes at an extremely difficult moment in Israeli history. The outcome will undoubtedly shape how millions of Israelis and American Jews choose to engage in Israel’s future.
At the New Israel Fund, we are focused on the most important aspect of this democratic process: that elections are free and fair. We are dedicated to ensuring that each and every citizen enjoys their right to vote.
This will be the first time Israelis head to the polls since October 7, since multiple bouts of relentless war in Gaza, in Lebanon, and with Iran. Israeli society is deeply divided on myriad issues from the mandatory military draft to the judicial overhaul. And many of the loudest voices from across the Israeli political spectrum have already begun to use their campaigns as an opportunity to force fragmentation, instead of platforming partnership.
Earlier this month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich clearly stated what is at stake when he declared that including Arab-Israeli political parties, representing twenty percent of the Israeli electorate, in a governing coalition is “more grave than the October 7 massacres.”
This racist comment is not a politician testing the limits of public discourse. No, Smotrich has named his vision for Israel’s future, announcing it openly and with pride.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the meantime, is also working to block political participation among Israel’s Palestinian citizens. Among the bills put forth in the Knesset in a rapid-fire effort to pass the last legislation before elections was an amendment to facilitate disqualifying Arab candidates and their parties.
There’s no other way to put this: Excluding 20% of Israeli society from political participation hollows out Israel’s democracy.
Smotrich and Netanyahu understand exactly why this matters. The denigration of Israel’s Palestinian citizens is no accident. At the end of the day, the character of Israeli democracy will be determined by minority inclusion.
Integration and partnership, not just as a social ideal, but as a practice in authentic democracy, expressed through shared leadership that forms the political reality, is the litmus test for a viable democracy in Israel. It is the only real path to peace, equality, and justice.
This is why we at NIF and our partners are committing to ensuring free and fair elections. We don’t just know that Israel’s Palestinian citizens are likely to define the outcome with their votes amid growing polarization and complex electoral math. We want our Palestinian citizens to have their voices heard and to participate fully and confidently in democracy.
That’s where the New Israel Fund is focusing its efforts ahead of election day. We are encouraging Palestinian communities to get to the ballot box. We are combating efforts to physically intimidate voters with or violently suppress turnout. We are tackling disinformation campaigns designed to exclude Arab parties, their candidates, and their participation in a coalition. We are monitoring, we are acting, and we will continue to stand up for inclusive democracy. We will make sure that everyone’s voice is heard.
We at NIF know that fair and free elections begin with tackling the broader inclination toward exclusion.
We refuse to accept a society of segregation, of exclusion, or of bigotry. This election cycle will define Israel’s trajectory for generations to come, and NIF is working to make sure Israel’s future is one of promise for all Israel’s citizens.
We and our partners cannot and will not sit by and hope for the best. We are on the ground, working with our teams, reminding Israelis that democracy is only democracy if every citizen has both the right to vote and the right to govern. We are proud of this work and look forward to sharing it with you through election day. These are our values. This is the only way forward.
