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Party Matcher

The Democrats (founded by the Labor movement)

The Democrats led by Yair Golan
Leader
Yair Golan
List
The Democrats led by Yair Golan
Researched as of
October 6, 2026

Running on a joint list with Meretz as The Democrats led by Yair Golan.

Overview

What the party is. The Democrats (in Hebrew, הדמוקרטים) were formed in 2024 when the Israeli Labor Party and Meretz agreed to unite under one name. Yair Golan, a retired IDF general and former Meretz Knesset member, was elected chair of the Labor Party on May 28, 2024 with 95.15% of the vote of party members, promising to unite the left-wing parties [6, 7]. On June 30, 2024, Labor and Meretz announced an agreement to unite under the name "The Democrats", led by Golan [3, 4]. Under the terms announced that day, Meretz was promised at least one candidate within the first 4 places of the Knesset list, and at least one more within each of the first 8, 12 and 16 places, with similar representation (about a quarter) in party bodies [3]. Labor's central committee approved the agreement almost unanimously on July 12, 2024 [5]. On February 20, 2026 the two parties signed an update to the agreement. Ynet reported that it set Meretz's guaranteed places on the list at 6, 8 and 14, extended the guarantee to future elections and added Meretz representatives to the coalition-negotiation teams [74]. The party describes itself as a "liberal-democratic Zionist party" [4].

Legal structure. For the 2026 election the Central Elections Committee (CEC) lists the candidate list as submitted by two registered parties: "The Democrats (founded by the Labor movement)" (הדמוקרטים מיסודה של תנועת העבודה) and Meretz (מרצ) [1]. The constitution the party publishes on its website is the constitution of the Israeli Labor Party (updated July 2025). It refers to "former Meretz members" whose representation is guaranteed under the agreement approved by the party convention on July 12, 2024 [19]. In other words, the party researched here is the former Labor Party's registered party under a new name, and Meretz still exists as a separate registered party that submitted the list with it [1, 19].

Ideology and base. The party's August 2026 platform commits it to an Israel that is "both Jewish and democratic" in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, to liberal democracy and the independence of the courts and legal advisers, to more investment in public services such as health, education, welfare and public transport, to "freedom of religion and freedom from religion", to "a responsible diplomatic move" with the Palestinians, and to equality for all citizens, including protecting the rights of minorities and LGBT people [18]. The party says its platform also commits it to Jewish-Arab partnership and the integration of Arab citizens into the country's leadership [27]. Its July 2026 primary was open to party members, and people could join the party until a week before the vote: 112,376 members were eligible to vote and about 97,000 voted [15, 16, 17]. In January 2026, ten leaders of the protest movement against the government's judicial changes and of the hostage-families' movement joined the party, among them Moshe Radman, Gaby Lasky and Tomer Avital [54]. Golan described the protest movement as "part of the backbone" of the party [54].

Current Knesset seats. The party holds 4 of the 120 seats in the 25th Knesset. The Knesset's database still lists the faction under the name "Labor" (העבודה), with four members: Naama Lazimi, Merav Michaeli, Gilad Kariv and Efrat Rayten [8, 9]. Golan himself is not a member of the current Knesset; his last term ended on November 15, 2022 [10].

Past results. In the November 2022 election Labor, then led by Merav Michaeli, ran alone and won 4 seats, down from 7. Meretz also ran alone and fell just below the electoral threshold, about 3,800 votes short, so it has no seats in the current Knesset [12]. Before that election, Michaeli refused to run on a joint list with Meretz [12].

The 2026 list (joint list). The party runs on the joint list "The Democrats led by Yair Golan" (הדמוקרטים בראשות יאיר גולן), ballot letters אמת, together with its partner Meretz [1, 2]. In the CEC filing, every one of the first 120 candidates except one is filed on behalf of the Democrats party. Only candidate number 6, Gaby Lasky, is filed on behalf of Meretz [1]. Former Meretz MKs such as Michal Rozin (number 8) and former Meretz leaders such as Tamar Zandberg (number 109) and Zehava Galon (number 116) are filed on behalf of the Democrats party [1]. The Israel Democracy Institute reports that places 6, 8 and 14 were reserved for Meretz candidates in the primary [15].

History of splits between the partners. Labor and Meretz have run together before and split after an election:

  • On January 13, 2020, Labor-Gesher and Meretz announced a joint run in the March 2020 election [13]. After that election the joint Knesset faction split twice. The Knesset database shows the faction "Labor-Gesher-Meretz" from March 16, 2020, "Labor-Meretz" from March 23, 2020, and a separate Meretz faction from April 6, 2020 [10].
  • On April 6, 2020 Labor chair Amir Peretz formally asked the Knesset to split from Meretz and announced a merger with Blue and White, as Labor moved toward joining the government then being formed by Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz. He said: "We unified because there was a risk that Meretz would not pass the minimum threshold. Now we are separating with mixed feelings" [14].
  • In 2022 the two parties ran separately [12]. They united again in 2024 [3, 4, 5].
  • No split of the current Democrats–Meretz arrangement was found as of October 12, 2026.

Polling

Polling average: 7.6% (as of October 2, 2026). Source: Mean of 5 polls published 2026-09-28 to 2026-10-02

Polls included in the average
  • Lazar Research (led by Dr. Menachem Lazar) · Maariv · 2026-09-30–10-01 · 602 respondents · margin of error ±4.0% · published Oct 2, 2026
  • Next Data · Channel 14 (Arutz Achshav 14) · 2026-10-01 · 2145 respondents · margin of error ±2.1% · published Oct 1, 2026
  • Direct Polls (led by Tzuriel Sharon) · i24NEWS (Middle East News 24 Ltd.) · 2026-10-01 · 504 respondents · margin of error ±4.3% · published Oct 1, 2026
  • Maagar Mochot (led by Prof. Yitzhak Katz) · Channel 16 · 2026-09-29 · 550 respondents · margin of error ±4.2% · published Sep 29, 2026
  • Next Data · Channel 14 (Arutz Achshav 14) · 2026-09-28 · 573 respondents · margin of error ±4.1% · published Sep 28, 2026

Leadership and key candidates

Yair Golan (number 1, party chair). Golan is a retired major general who served as IDF deputy chief of staff and commanded the Northern Command and the Home Front Command [7]. He was a Knesset member for the Democratic Camp and then Meretz from October 2019 to November 2022, and served as Deputy Minister of Economy from July 26, 2021 to November 15, 2022, in the government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid [10]. On October 7, 2023 he went to the area of the Hamas attack on his own initiative and helped rescue people fleeing the Nova festival massacre [6, 7]. In 2016 he said that he saw "disturbing processes" in Israeli society similar to those that came before the Holocaust. The Times of Israel reports that this remark cost him consideration for IDF chief of staff in 2018 [7]. He was elected Labor chair on May 28, 2024 [6] and has led the Democrats since the merger [3, 4]. In his campaign he has pledged a law barring people under indictment from serving as ministers or prime minister: "In our government, there will be zero criminal defendants. Zero" [50].

Naama Lazimi (number 2). A Knesset member since June 22, 2021 [11]. She won the top spot in the July 20, 2026 primary [16]. Her bills in the current Knesset focus on the cost of living, housing, workers' rights and public transport (see the issue sections below) [58, 61]. In August 2026 she and the Hiddush organization petitioned the High Court against Finance Committee transfers made after the Knesset dissolved. The court temporarily froze NIS 267 million for Haredi education and NIS 157 million in direct funding for the Settlements Ministry, among other items [26]. At the July 2026 campaign launch she pledged to replace Education Minister Yoav Kisch and remove what she called "religious coercion, nationalism and racism" from the curriculum [21].

Gilad Kariv (number 3). A Reform rabbi and a Knesset member since April 6, 2021 [11, 16]. The Jerusalem Post reports that he led the opposition's parliamentary effort against the death-penalty bill and chairs the Aliyah, Integration and Diaspora Affairs Committee [52]. He has initiated bills on Shabbat public transport, the Chief Rabbinate and requiring a referendum before Israeli sovereignty is applied to any territory [57, 59, 61]. He is the subject of a police investigation that awaits a prosecution decision (see the legal section) [69, 70].

Efrat Rayten (number 4). A Knesset member since April 6, 2021, and chair of the Labor/Democrats Knesset faction since January 16, 2023 [11]. She submitted a bill to set up a state commission of inquiry into October 7 (2025) [59, 61].

Yair (Yaya) Fink (number 5). Described by the Times of Israel as a liberal activist; he won fifth place in the July 2026 primary [16].

Next candidates. Number 6 is Gaby Lasky, a former Meretz MK, filed on behalf of Meretz [1, 16]. She is followed by Omri Ronen (a reservist and anti-government activist), Michal Rozin (a former Meretz MK), Moshe Radman (a protest leader) and Sumaya Bashir (an Arab coexistence advocate) [1, 16]. In July 2026 Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered Ronen removed from the IDF reserves after Ronen told Channel 12 that Israelis should "do everything to prevent a coup d'état… including refusing to report" [25]. Under the primary rules, after Golan's place the list alternates between women and men, and places were reserved for Meretz and for candidates from kibbutzim and moshavim and from Arab, Druze and Circassian communities. Golan could also name two candidates in every ten places [15]. In August 2026 Golan said he would not use a reserved place he had reportedly offered to hostage-family activist Einav Zangauker, and would keep the list as chosen by members [32].

Not on the list. Current MK and former Labor chair Merav Michaeli does not appear on the 2026 list [1, 8].

Positions on the issues

Cost of living

The party's main approach is state action against large companies, combined with cheaper public services.

  • Formal commitment: The August 2026 platform blames monopolies and import and retail "cartels" for high prices and pledges to "break up concentration", "fight the food, medicine and energy cartels", bring public transport fares back down and expand the list of price-controlled products [18].
  • Formal commitment: The platform also argues that working public health and education systems would save families from paying "thousands of shekels a month" for supplementary insurance, private health plans and private education [18]. It pledges a shorter working week, more vacation and sick days, meaningful paternity leave, and more public, cheaper daycare for children aged 0 to 3 [18].
  • Action (bills): In the current Knesset, Lazimi submitted bills that would let the Competition Authority declare a monopoly and ban "excessive and predatory" prices (May 2024) and create a legal presumption that a price is excessive (January 2026). She also submitted, with MKs from other parties, a bill to stabilize the prices of basic goods in an emergency (2024), and on her own a bill to control the prices of a "healthy food basket" (December 2022) [58, 61]. Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten jointly submitted a bill to raise the minimum wage (February 2023) [58, 61]. None of these bills has passed. Most are listed as "placed on the Knesset table for a preliminary debate" [58, 62].
  • Statement: In March 2026, Golan criticized NIS 5 billion in budget allocations to Haredi institutions and settlements during the war, saying the money "has been taken from your wallets" and should have gone to security, health care and rehabilitation [51].
  • Not found: No commitment to cut VAT or income tax was found in the platform [18].

Closest option(s): The state should supervise prices and act against large companies (active-state-regulation), together with direct support such as cheaper daycare and public transport (direct-support-for-households).

Crime in Arab society

The party proposes a national emergency effort led by a task force drawn from all enforcement bodies, including the Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service), together with welfare and education programs.

  • Formal commitment: The platform's "Root Treatment" (טיפול שורש) plan says a Democrats-led government would declare a "national state of emergency" and set up a national task force and a weekly "crime cabinet" [18]. The task force would take 5% of the best personnel from every enforcement body, "including the police, the Shin Bet, the IDF and the Prison Service". It would have "broad powers" and a budget of NIS 1 billion a year, and aim to bring suspects from arrest to prison within 9 months [18].
  • Formal commitment: The plan also proposes:
    • special courts for serious crime and minimum sentences;
    • more Arabic-speaking detectives and investigators;
    • a financial unit with powers to obtain bank information and work with the Shin Bet and the Mossad;
    • barring companies linked to crime organizations from government tenders;
    • a government insurer for farmers and business owners threatened by protection rackets;
    • running local councils taken over by crime organizations through appointed committees until order is restored [18].
  • Formal commitment: On the prevention side, the plan proposes a "Team 49", an education, welfare and rehabilitation unit named after the number of children it says were murdered while Itamar Ben Gvir was national security minister. It also proposes bringing back a program for at-risk youth in the worst-affected towns, safety counsellors in every Arab school, and prisoner rehabilitation [18].
  • Statement: Golan presented the NIS 1 billion plan on August 10, 2026, saying: "A country that knows how to reach every terrorist organization… knows how to reach every criminal organization" [48].
  • Action (bills): Rayten submitted a bill setting minimum sentences and fines for possessing illegal weapons (February 2023). Lazimi submitted a bill requiring adequate representation of the Arab population in municipalities (January 2023) [59, 61].
  • Context: In July 2026 the government approved bringing the Shin Bet into the fight against crime in Arab society. It funded this by moving about NIS 497 million from the five-year development plan for Arab communities [49]. No public statement by the party on that specific decision was found.
  • Not found: The platform does not mention holding suspects without trial [18].

Closest option(s): The evidence is mixed. The plan's Shin Bet involvement, emergency declaration and special powers are closest to emergency-powers-shin-bet, but no support for holding suspects without trial was found. Its prevention and community measures overlap with invest-in-arab-communities-first.

Gaza Strip policy

The party supports ending the fighting through a diplomatic arrangement: Gaza without weapons, Hamas replaced, and regional and international help.

  • Formal commitment: The platform says that in Gaza the party will "advance a move to demilitarize the Strip, replace Hamas rule and establish effective enforcement mechanisms with regional and international assistance". It also says Israel "will not hand over our security to foreign actors" and will keep its freedom to act and enforce any violation [18]. More broadly, it calls for "closing combat arenas" through security and diplomatic arrangements, and criticizes the government's "slogans about total victory" [18].
  • Statement: On October 8, 2025, a forum of opposition leaders that included Golan pledged Prime Minister Netanyahu a "political safety net" so that US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, which includes the release of the hostages, could go ahead despite opposition from within his coalition [34].
  • Statement: On October 28, 2025, Golan said Netanyahu's government "insists on keeping Hamas alive". He called for rebuilding Gaza under "a Palestinian civil administration supported by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Emirates, under strict Israeli and international supervision". He also said: "The PA is not Zionist, but it's the best partner we have for ensuring security" [35].
  • Statement: In May 2025 Golan said that "a sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby". He later said the remarks were aimed at the government, not at soldiers [22, 23]. Defense Minister Katz then barred him from reserve duty, from wearing a uniform and from entering army bases; no report that the order has been lifted was found [23, 25]. Otzma Yehudit asked the CEC to disqualify the Democrats over the remark, and the committee rejected the request on September 24, 2026 by 14 to 2 [22].

Closest option(s): Move forward with the US plan, an international force and a Palestinian administration without Hamas, backed by Arab countries (advance-international-arrangement).

Haredi military enlistment

The party supports equal service for all citizens and opposes laws that would let yeshiva students study instead of serving.

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges "absolute equality in the burden": "We will introduce equal service for all citizens of Israel", meaning military or civilian service. It presents this as necessary to fill the IDF's shortage of soldiers and reduce the burden on reservists, while acting "out of respect for different ways of life" [18].
  • Formal commitment: On education, the platform pledges to end the special status and state funding of the Haredi school networks. It says they do not teach mathematics, English and civics and "educate to avoid military service". It proposes a five-year plan to make state-Haredi schools (Haredi schools run by the state) the main track in Haredi society [18].
  • Action (votes): On July 13, 2026 the faction's four MKs (Lazimi, Kariv, Rayten and Michaeli) voted against the Basic Law declaring Torah study a foundational value, which passed 63 to 52 [45, 77]. On July 14, 2026 the four voted against the Security Service Law amendment that freezes arrests and enforcement against yeshiva students until November 30, 2026, which passed 58 to 54 [78]. The High Court of Justice froze the law the next day and struck it down on September 3, 2026 [89]. Golan said the law was an attempt to "turn draft evasion into a constitutional value" and pledged to "complete Israel's Basic Laws" if elected [45]. At the preliminary reading on June 10, 2026, Kariv said the bill "explicitly states that evading military service in favor of yeshiva study will be recognized as a significant contribution to the State of Israel" [44].
  • Change over time: While Labor sat in the Bennett–Lapid coalition, Lazimi, Kariv, Rayten and Michaeli voted for the government's enlistment bill at its first reading on January 31, 2022, which passed 51–48; the bill set enlistment targets and lowered the exemption age for yeshiva students. On June 11, 2024, when the Knesset voted 63–57 to revive the same bill, all four voted against [90]. The two votes were cast in different Knessets, the first as part of the coalition and the second in the opposition, with the October 7 attack and the war in between. No statement by the party explaining the difference between the two votes was found.
  • Action (bills): Lazimi and Kariv, together with MKs from other parties, submitted a bill to stop state support for institutions that encourage people not to serve (2025). Lazimi submitted a bill to remove tax-deductible status from non-profits that encourage people not to serve in the army (2025). The Knesset database lists both as stopped [60, 61].
  • Statement: At the May 31, 2026 party conference, Golan listed passing an enlistment law among the party's core commitments [31]. In March 2026 he accused the government of investing in "draft evasion, settlements, and corruption" [51].
  • Coalition context: At their September 26, 2026 meeting, the opposition leaders, including Golan, set up working groups that will deal with Haredi military enlistment [29].

Closest option(s): Every 18-year-old, including Haredim, serves in the army or civilian national service, with consequences for those who refuse (universal-service-with-sanctions). The platform's sanctions are aimed at institutions and their funding rather than at individuals.

Housing

The party focuses on state-backed affordable and public rental housing, rental regulation and developing the north and south.

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges smart urban planning and urban renewal, with denser, mixed-use and walkable neighborhoods near transport and jobs. It pledges homes of different sizes and a "significant" expansion of long-term rental and affordable public housing [18]. Its environmental chapter prefers urban renewal and strengthening existing towns over building new ones [18].
  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges to make the north and south "a symbol of rehabilitation", investing in jobs, higher education, health services, transport and housing there. It says that "instead of billions for annexation and outposts" it would move billions to these residents [18].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi submitted bills to allocate homes for affordable and public housing (2022), to limit rent increases (2022) and on the right of public-housing tenants to buy their homes (the last was being prepared for its second and third readings as of November 2025). She also submitted a bill to develop Kiryat Shmona and give local residents priority in housing (March 2026) [58, 61, 62]. Rayten submitted a bill to stop landlords' agents charging brokerage fees to tenants (October 2025) [58, 61].

Closest option(s): State-built long-term affordable rental and rental regulation (state-led-affordable-rental), together with investment in the periphery (develop-periphery-and-transport).

Iran, Hezbollah and the region

The party supports military pressure combined with diplomatic agreements alongside the US and Arab states.

  • Formal commitment: Against Iran, the platform calls for a regional and global "alliance of moderates" using "diplomacy, economic sanctions and military moves" to prevent a nuclear bomb and reduce the ballistic-missile threat [18]. On Lebanon, it proposes an international force, a stronger Lebanese army, measures to stop arms smuggling and Iranian aid, and moving Hezbollah (the Iran-backed terror organization in Lebanon) and its long-range missiles away from the border. It wants an enforcement mechanism that keeps Israel's freedom to act if the arrangement is violated [18]. It also proposes a security arrangement with Syria, normalization with Saudi Arabia and the IMEC economic corridor (a planned India–Middle East–Europe trade route) [18].
  • Statement: On March 16, 2026, during the war with Iran, Golan said "even the best army in the world cannot win if it has extremist leadership" [37]. On March 19, 2026, he said that "military force is a means, not an end" and that Hezbollah's weakness created a diplomatic opening in Lebanon [36].
  • Statement: On April 6, 2026, Golan called for "combining military strength with strategic diplomatic initiative" [38]. On April 9, 2026, he backed direct talks with Lebanon ("Thanks to Trump for forcing Netanyahu to take action") and said "political agreements are the way to bring true security to Israel" [39].
  • Not found: No statement by the party on the start of the US–Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026 was found.

Closest option(s): Keep up military pressure while negotiating, and turn it into US-backed agreements (force-plus-us-backed-agreements).

Judea and Samaria

The party opposes applying Israeli sovereignty and supports a diplomatic process with the Palestinians. Its leader has said the large settlement blocs will remain part of Israel.

  • Action (votes): On July 23, 2025, the faction's four MKs voted against a non-binding Knesset motion calling to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, which passed 71 to 13 [75]. Kariv said that applying sovereignty "is a clear danger to the future of the state of Israel and the Zionist enterprise" [41].
  • Action (votes): On October 22, 2025, a bill applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria passed a preliminary reading by 25 to 24, supported by Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism and Agudat Yisrael [42]. Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten voted against it; Michaeli is not recorded as voting [76].
  • Action (votes): On July 17–18, 2024, when the Knesset passed by 68 to 9 a resolution opposing a Palestinian state west of the Jordan, Labor MKs left the plenum rather than vote [40].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten (with Michaeli) submitted a bill to amend Basic Law: Referendum so that applying sovereignty would require approval in a referendum (2023). Kariv submitted it again in December 2024 [59, 61].
  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges to "stop the annexation and prevent an explosion in the West Bank". It would stop building and funding outposts and farms set up against the law, return powers in the area to the IDF and the Defense Ministry, and repeal what it calls the government's annexation laws [18]. On what it calls "settler terror", it would evacuate violent outposts, declare the groups involved terror organizations and fund enforcement [18]. It would also strengthen security coordination with the Palestinian Authority and help it become an effective governing body against terror groups [18]. The platform calls for "a responsible diplomatic move vis-à-vis the Palestinians" without compromising security, but does not use the words "two states" [18].
  • Statement: On February 2, 2026, Golan said in an Army Radio interview: "If we gain power, we will not transfer money to the settlements". Later that day, asked by reporters, he narrowed this: "The settlement blocs are part of Israel. They will be, because there is no other possibility. We will strengthen settlements along the border, but there will be no illegal activity" [24]. The narrower version matches the platform, which targets outposts and farms set up against the law rather than all settlements [18].
  • Statement: In a July 2026 podcast interview, Golan said his goal is "a two-state solution". He named as first steps halting moves to apply sovereignty, fighting both Palestinian and Jewish terror, and evacuating all outposts [72]. The Jerusalem Post reports that Kariv has said Israel should ultimately divide the land and establish a demilitarized Palestinian state as part of a regional agreement [20]. The Jerusalem Post reports (October 1, 2026) that the party's predecessors historically supported a two-state solution, and that Golan has called for "a more nuanced solution" since October 7 [20]. At the July 2026 campaign launch Golan pledged to dismantle what he called "Smotrich's outposts" [21].

Closest option(s): Two states through a negotiated agreement in which the large settlement blocs stay with Israel (separation-two-states). This rests on statements: Golan's stated two-state goal and his February 2026 remark that the settlement blocs will stay part of Israel, and Kariv's stated support for a demilitarized Palestinian state [20, 24, 72]. The 2026 platform itself does not use the words "two states" or name a final border. It speaks of stopping the application of sovereignty and of a diplomatic process [18].

Judicial system

The party wants to cancel the government's changes to the judicial system and protect the courts and the attorney general by law.

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges to "map and repeal" all the laws it links to the government's judicial changes. It names the law changing the Judicial Selection Committee, which it says politicizes appointments, and the law expanding the powers of the religious courts [18]. It pledges to anchor in law the independence of government legal advisers and the binding status of their legal opinions [18].
  • Formal commitment: The platform also pledges to enact Basic Law: Legislation, setting the status of basic laws and the rules for judicial review of laws, and to put human rights and social rights (health, education, housing) in basic laws with "supreme constitutional status" [18]. It would amend the Nation-State Law to reflect a commitment to being "both Jewish and democratic" in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence [18]. Other pledges:
    • more judges and new courts of appeal;
    • an eight-year limit on serving as prime minister;
    • a ban on ministers or a prime minister serving while under indictment [18, 50].
  • Action (votes): On March 27, 2025, the faction's four MKs voted against the law changing the Judicial Selection Committee at its second reading, which passed 65 to 47 [79]. The opposition then left the chamber for the final vote, which passed 67 to 1; Michaeli is recorded as present and not voting, and the other three are not recorded [43, 80]. The law takes effect when the next Knesset begins. Golan pledged to "petition against the law", and Kariv compared the government's methods to "Erdogan's" [43].
  • Action (bills): In March 2025 the faction's four MKs submitted a bill on the procedure for ending the attorney general's term [59, 61]. They also submitted several times a bill to add the principle of equality before the law and the status of the Declaration of Independence to Basic Law: Nation-State (2023, 2024) [59, 61].
  • Statement: The Jerusalem Post reports that party members defended Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara against the government's attempts to dismiss her [20].

Closest option(s): Reverse the recent changes and protect the independence of the courts and the attorney general in a basic law (repeal-changes-protect-independence). The pledge to write Basic Law: Legislation also touches on broad-agreed-constitutional-framework.

October 7 inquiry

The party supports a state commission of inquiry under the existing law.

  • Formal commitment: The platform states: "We will establish a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7 and implement its conclusions in full" [18].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi submitted a bill to set up a state commission of inquiry into October 7 and the war (2024), and Rayten submitted a similar bill (2025) [59, 61].
  • Action (votes): On November 12, 2025 Kariv, Rayten and Michaeli voted for two private bills to set up a state commission of inquiry into October 7, which were defeated 45 to 53 and 44 to 52; Lazimi is not recorded as voting [81, 82]. On December 24, 2025 all four voted against the coalition's bill for a commission appointed through the Knesset, which passed its preliminary reading 53 to 48 [83].
  • Action (boycott): On July 6, 2026, the opposition boycotted the first-reading vote on the coalition's bill for a commission picked through the Knesset, which passed 59 to 0; no per-MK record of that vote is published in the Knesset's vote services, so the tally is the press figure. Golan said: "No whitewash commission established by a failed and corrupt government will erase this failure" [46].
  • Statement: On September 8, 2026, Golan, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman pledged: "As soon as a government under our leadership is established, we will establish a state-led commission of inquiry" [47]. In August 2026 Golan's statement on the party's list said it is committed to establishing "a state commission of inquiry" [32].

Closest option(s): The President of the Supreme Court picks the members, as the existing law requires (state-commission-under-existing-law).

Religion and state

The party supports civil marriage, ending the Chief Rabbinate's exclusive control of conversion and kosher certification, and Shabbat public transport.

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges a civil marriage law letting every citizen marry and divorce "in a civil or religious ceremony, regardless of religion, sex or origin", including civil divorce, with solutions for those who married religiously [18].
  • Formal commitment: It pledges to end what it calls the Rabbinate's monopoly on conversion and kosher certification, recognize non-Orthodox conversions, fund all religious streams and faiths equally, and allow free choice in burial [18].
  • Formal commitment: It pledges public transport "every day of the week" connecting all cities, with local authorities deciding arrangements inside their own towns. It also pledges to fight what it calls "religionization" (הדתה) and discrimination in the IDF, in public spaces and in the education system, and to stop the exclusion of women in the IDF [18].
  • Formal commitment: It pledges to repeal the law expanding the powers of the religious courts [18].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten jointly submitted a bill to operate public transport on Shabbat (2022), which the Knesset database lists as stopped. Kariv submitted a new version in 2026 [57, 61, 62, 66]. Kariv also submitted, with MKs from other parties, a bill to change the body that elects the chief rabbis (2023), and with Michaeli a bill to bar ministers and MKs from using publicly funded cars on Shabbat and holidays (2023). Lazimi and Rayten were among the MKs from several parties who submitted a bill limiting how long rabbinical court divorce cases can take (2023) [57, 61].
  • Statement: The Jerusalem Post reports that Golan supports letting businesses open on Shabbat where the law allows it ("A business that wants to open on Shabbat in a place where the law allows it, will open") and recognizing civil marriage outside the Chief Rabbinate [20]. At the May 31, 2026 party conference he listed civil marriage among the party's core commitments [31].

Closest option(s): The platform's civil marriage and divorce for all, equal treatment of all streams and Shabbat public transport across the country are closest to separate-religion-and-state. Its letting local authorities decide on Shabbat arrangements inside their towns, and continued state-funded religious services, resemble more-choice-local-decisions.

Other notable positions

Education

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges equal per-student funding across school streams. It says the state-religious stream gets 26% more per upper-high-school student than the Hebrew state stream and 39% more than the Arab state stream [18].
  • Formal commitment: It also pledges:
    • a Council for State Education with powers parallel to the State-Religious Education Council;
    • compulsory civics and democracy studies in all streams, with a status similar to English and mathematics;
    • better pay and conditions for teachers;
    • a rescue plan for daycare for children aged 0 to 3 [18].
  • Statement: At the July 2026 campaign launch Lazimi pledged to replace the education minister and emphasize "humanistic Judaism" [21].

LGBT rights

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges:
    • equal rights in marriage, parenthood, surrogacy and adoption;
    • a ban on conversion therapy for minors;
    • recognition of victims of hate crimes and a ban on incitement against LGBT people;
    • raising the budget of the government division for LGBT advancement to NIS 100 million a year [18].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi (2022), and Kariv with Rayten (2023), submitted bills banning conversion therapy for minors, each together with MKs from other parties. The Knesset database lists them as stopped [57, 61].

Environment and climate

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges:
    • a Basic Law: The Environment and a climate law with targets of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050;
    • closing coal-fired power plants and moving the Bazan refinery and other polluting industries out of Haifa Bay, with job security for workers;
    • a national waste authority;
    • protecting 30% of land and sea as nature reserves by 2030;
    • water cooperation with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, including restoring the southern Jordan River and the Dead Sea [18].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi submitted a bill to ban wood, diesel and kerosene heaters (2023) [65, 66].

Animal welfare

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges to amend the Animal Welfare Law, toughen penalties for crimes against nature, and fight illegal trade in wild animals and plants, including through the anti-money-laundering law [18].

Democracy, corruption and term limits

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges an eight-year limit on serving as prime minister, clear rules for when a prime minister is unable to serve, a ban on serving as minister or prime minister under indictment, tougher penalties for corruption in government, and binding ethics rules for elected officials [18].
  • Statement: Golan has pledged "zero criminal defendants" in a government his party joins [50].

Arab citizens and Jewish-Arab partnership

  • Formal commitment: The platform calls for equality among all citizens and protection of minorities' rights [18]. The party says its platform commits it to "promote Jewish-Arab partnership and the integration of Arab citizens of Israel into the leadership of the state after the elections" [27]. The platform's crime plan for Arab society is described under the crime issue above [18].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten submitted bills to add equality before the law to Basic Law: Nation-State [59, 61].
  • Statement: Golan has called Ra'am a legitimate partner for forming a government (May 7, 2026) [33]. He has said Arab representation in the next government is "natural, right, appropriate and democratic" (September 27, 2026) [27, 28].

Reservists and soldiers

  • Action (bills and laws): Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten were among the co-sponsors of a law passed in this Knesset giving aid to students who served in the reserves [65, 66]. Party MKs also submitted bills on:
    • longer unemployment benefits for reservists;
    • an income-tax credit for reserve service;
    • state help with daycare costs for reservists;
    • protection from dismissal for reservists' spouses;
    • pay for combat soldiers in regular service;
    • writing off debts arising from reserve pay [60, 65, 66].
  • Formal commitment: The platform links equal service to lowering the reserve burden [18].

Women's equality

  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges to stop the exclusion of women in the IDF, saying integrating religious soldiers must not come "at the expense of women serving" [18]. Primary rules required the list to alternate women and men [15].
  • Action (bills): Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten (with Michaeli) submitted a bill on equal opportunity for women in the IDF (2024) [60, 61].

Public transport

  • Formal commitment: The platform aims for Israel to be a leading country in public transport use by 2040, with service every day of the week and lower fares [18].
  • Action (bills): Kariv, with MKs from other parties, submitted a bill to encourage workers to use public transport (2026). Lazimi submitted bills to require a public transport assessment in planning and to let local authorities set public transport services (2024) [60, 61, 65, 66].

Emigration and the Diaspora

  • Statement: In August 2026 Kariv warned of a "tsunami of emigration". He called for a dedicated official and a multi-year government strategy to reverse it [53].
  • Formal commitment: The platform pledges to promote liberal streams of Judaism and ties with world Jewry [18].
  • Action: In October 2025 the Democrats cancelled a power-sharing agreement with Likud in the World Zionist Organization after Yair Netanyahu was given a senior post there. The party called the appointment "corrupt and shameful" [55].

Death penalty

  • Action: A law making death the default sentence for Palestinians from Judea and Samaria convicted of deadly terror attacks passed at the end of March 2026. Petitions asking the High Court to strike it down were filed by Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, MKs from Hadash-Ta'al and the organization Rabbis for Human Rights [56]. The Jerusalem Post reports that Kariv led the opposition's parliamentary fight against the bill and called it "immoral" and "disgraceful" in his petition [52]. No ruling on the petitions was found as of October 6, 2026.

Coalition stance

What the party has said (with dates):

  • May 31, 2026: Golan said the party is "not in anyone's pocket" and will not automatically recommend the leader of the largest opposition party for prime minister; its support depends on that leader's agreement with its values [31]. He rejected partnering with anyone who served in Netanyahu's government or was responsible for the response to October 7 [31].
  • May 7, 2026: Golan called on opposition leaders to "openly declare today that Mansour Abbas is a legitimate partner in forming a government" and said that if Ra'am's support is needed to replace the government, "Ra'am is a worthy partner" [33].
  • October 8, 2025: Golan said that "those who continue to disqualify Arabs as political partners… are aligning themselves with the extreme Right" [34].
  • September 10, 2026: The Democrats signed a surplus-vote agreement with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar list. (A surplus-vote agreement lets two lists combine their leftover votes when seats are allocated.) The party said the goal was to "maximize the strength of the bloc and replace the government" [30].
  • September 26, 2026: Golan signed a declaration with Eisenkot, Bennett, Lapid and Liberman to form a "Zionist, statesmanlike" government of "repair", not to attack one another, and to set up joint working groups, including on Haredi enlistment and a state commission of inquiry [29].
  • September 27, 2026: Golan said on Kan radio: "We believe that an Arab party can be part of the government. It is natural, right, appropriate and democratic." The party then clarified that this reflected its own platform, not an agreement reached at the opposition meeting [27, 28].
  • Likud and Haredi parties: The Jerusalem Post reports (October 1, 2026) that the party rules out joining Netanyahu's Likud or the Haredi parties [20]. At its May 31, 2026 conference the party listed removing the current coalition from power among its core goals [31].

Record of keeping such pledges (the predecessor Labor Party and Meretz):

  • Contradiction: Before the March 2020 election, Labor chair Amir Peretz and MK Itzik Shmuli had pledged not to serve under a prime minister under indictment [14]. In April 2020 Labor split from Meretz and joined the government formed by Netanyahu and Gantz, with Peretz expected to become economy minister and Shmuli welfare minister [14, 10]. This predates the current leadership: Golan became party chair in May 2024 [6].
  • 2021: Labor and Meretz joined the government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. Labor's ministers were Merav Michaeli (Transportation), Omer Bar-Lev (Public Security) and Nachman Shai (Diaspora Affairs); Meretz's were Nitzan Horowitz (Health), Tamar Zandberg (Environmental Protection) and Issawi Frej (Regional Cooperation) [63, 64, 67]. Golan served as Deputy Economy Minister [10].
  • 2022: Michaeli refused to run with Meretz, and Meretz fell below the threshold [12].
  • 2024: Golan pledged in May 2024 to unite the left, and the merger with Meretz was approved in July 2024 [7, 3, 5].
  • The party has not yet been in government under the Democrats name, so its current pledges have not been tested.

Track record

In government (as Labor and Meretz, 2021–2022). Labor and Meretz ministers served in the government of Bennett and Lapid from June 13, 2021 until the 25th Knesset began on November 15, 2022 [63, 64]. Michaeli was transportation minister, Bar-Lev public security minister and Shai Diaspora affairs minister for Labor. Horowitz was health minister, Zandberg environmental protection minister and Frej regional cooperation minister for Meretz. Golan was deputy economy minister [10, 63, 64, 67]. No source opened in this session evaluates specific promises from those years against what was delivered, so a promise-by-promise comparison for that government is not given here.

Coalition-line votes (2021–2022): While Labor sat in that coalition, the party's three current MK-candidates voted with the coalition against opposition private bills. They are labelled by whether Labor's platform for the March 2021 election held a matching pledge [91]:

  • Contradiction: Labor's 2021 platform said "we will act to expand the public-housing stock", both to clear the waiting list and to widen eligibility [91]. On November 24, 2021 Lazimi, Kariv and Rayten voted against an opposition bill to increase the public-housing stock, which was defeated 40 to 44 [84]. It was an opposition bill and the coalition voted against it. The 2026 platform pledges a "significant" expansion of affordable public housing, and Lazimi has submitted public-housing bills since 2022 [18, 58, 61]. No statement by the party explaining the vote was found.
  • Change over time (no matching pledge in the 2021 platform): The same day the three voted against a bill to raise child allowances (defeated 38 to 43) [85]. On December 1, 2021 Kariv voted against a bill to equalise the disability allowance with the minimum wage (defeated 20 to 22); Lazimi and Rayten are not recorded as voting [86]. On May 11, 2022 all three voted against a bill setting minimum sentences for weapons offences (defeated 53 to 61) [87]; in February 2023, in opposition, Rayten submitted her own bill setting minimum sentences for possessing illegal weapons, and the 2026 platform proposes minimum sentences for serious crime [59, 61, 18]. On June 15, 2022 all three voted against a bill on public-transport discounts for people with disabilities (defeated 47 to 52) [88]. Labor's 2021 platform holds no pledge on child allowances, the disability allowance, weapons sentences or such a discount; it pledges in general terms to raise subsistence allowances [91]. These votes are therefore compared only with the party's later bills and its 2026 platform. No statement by the party explaining the votes was found.

In opposition (25th Knesset, 2022–2026), as a four-member faction:

  • State commission of inquiry (promise: set one up). As an opposition party it cannot establish one. Its MKs submitted bills for a state commission in 2024 and 2025, which did not pass, and the opposition boycotted the first-reading vote on the coalition's alternative bill in July 2026 [46, 59, 61].
  • Judicial changes (promise: stop and repeal them). The faction voted against the Judicial Selection Committee law at its second reading in March 2025, the opposition left the chamber for the final vote, and the law passed [43, 79]. In August 2026 Lazimi's petition led the High Court to temporarily freeze Finance Committee transfers [26].
  • Applying sovereignty (promise: stop it). The party voted against the July 2025 sovereignty motion and the October 2025 sovereignty bill [41, 75, 76] and submitted bills requiring a referendum before sovereignty is applied [59, 61].
  • Religion and state (promise: Shabbat transport, civil marriage). Its Shabbat public transport bill was stopped [57, 62]. No civil marriage bill by the faction's current MKs was found in the Knesset bill records checked for this Knesset.
  • Cost of living and housing. Bills on rent increases, excessive prices, the minimum wage and public housing were submitted. The public-housing purchase-rights bill reached preparation for its final readings in November 2025 [58, 62].
  • Laws passed with the faction's MKs among the initiators include aid for students who served in the reserves, the law commemorating the October 7 massacre, rights for women who stayed in shelters for battered women, and laws on pensions for career soldiers and their survivors [65, 66].
  • Merger (promise: unite the left). Golan promised in May 2024 to unite Labor and Meretz, and the merger was approved in July 2024 [7, 5].

Legal or ethical matters involving leaders

No indictments or convictions involving the party's leaders were found. One police investigation, into MK Gilad Kariv (number 3), awaits a decision by the State Attorney's Office. One Knesset Ethics Committee decision concerns MK Naama Lazimi (number 2). The other official decisions found involve the party chair, Yair Golan. Complaints by rival parties on which no official body acted, and court cases that Golan himself filed, are not listed here.

Gilad Kariv:

  • Police investigation over a leaked committee protocol. After a complaint by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, police questioned Kariv as a suspect in April 2025 over the suspected passing of information from a closed Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting held on June 13, 2023, at which the prime minister gave a classified briefing. Kariv said the quotes published from the meeting had been approved by the military censor and contained no classified information, denied harming state security, and called the complaint political [69]. On July 9, 2025, police announced that they had completed the investigation and transferred the file to the Economic Department of the State Attorney's Office "for review and decision" [70]. In July 2026 the organization Lavi petitioned the High Court to require the Attorney General and the State Attorney to decide without further delay whether to indict him, or to say when they would decide [71]. Status: pending. No decision to indict or to close the file was found as of October 12, 2026.

Naama Lazimi:

  • Knesset Ethics Committee. On May 12, 2026 the Ethics Committee found that Lazimi (number 2) had breached the ethics rules by her conduct at a demonstration in Tel Aviv on March 30, 2024, where she was filmed taking part in blocking a road and placing a wooden plank on a bonfire that protesters had lit on it. The committee imposed a reprimand and removed her from the Knesset plenum and its committees for two days, May 20 and May 25, 2026. In the same decision it did not hold her responsible for a post by her parliamentary adviser. She did not respond to the complaints (decision 55/25) [92]. Status: decided.

Yair Golan:

  • State Attorney's Office decision on 2023 remarks. Following a complaint about Golan's 2023 statement, during the protests against the changes to the judicial system, that "refusal is a legitimate tool", the office of the Deputy State Attorney decided on July 29, 2025 not to order a criminal investigation, "given the circumstances of the case and in accordance with prosecution policy on these offences" [68]. Status: closed without an investigation.
  • Disqualification request rejected. Otzma Yehudit asked the CEC to disqualify the Democrats, citing Golan's May 2025 remarks about Gaza. On September 24, 2026 the committee rejected the request by 14 to 2 [22]. Status: the list is running.
  • Not listed here: Defense Minister Israel Katz's 2025 order barring Golan from IDF reserve duty, described under Gaza, and his July 2026 order removing candidate Omri Ronen from the reserves, described under Leadership, were decisions by a minister, not legal or disciplinary proceedings [25].

Checked: news reporting on Golan, Lazimi, Kariv, Rayten, Fink and Lasky in Hebrew and English (including the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews, Israel Hayom and Mako), the CEC decisions reported for this election, and the Knesset database. Searches of the State Comptroller's digital library (mevaker.gov.il) and of gov.il (Attorney General and State Attorney announcements) found no findings, indictments or announcements against these candidates. The only State Comptroller report found that names Golan, a November 2025 report on Israel's national security concept, describes his 2017–2018 work, as deputy chief of staff, on drafting such a concept and makes no finding against him [73].

Sources

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  47. Opposition leaders vow to form Oct. 7 probe as first act of new gov't, demand truth from Netanyahu. The Jerusalem Post, September 8, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-907972
  48. Yair Golan unveils NIS 1b. plan to fight crime in Arab society. The Jerusalem Post, August 10, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-905105
  49. Government okays Shin Bet to fight crime in Arab society, sparking rights concerns. The Times of Israel, July 16, 2026. https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-okays-shin-bet-to-fight-crime-in-arab-society-sparking-rights-concerns/
  50. Golan pledges 'fundamental change,' vows to bar indicted politicians from government. The Jerusalem Post, July 21, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903224
  51. 'Stealing like thieves': Opposition condemns gov't NIS 5b allocation to haredim, settlements. The Jerusalem Post, March 10, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-889503
  52. No. 47: Yair Golan and Gilad Kariv: Reviving Israel's fractured Left. The Jerusalem Post, September 10, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/influencers-26/50jews-26/article-907925
  53. MK Kariv warns of emigration 'tsunami' as study shows nearly 270,000 people left Israel since 2023. The Jerusalem Post, August 3, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-904446
  54. Israeli protest leaders to join forces with Democrats in next election, Yair Golan announces. The Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-882535
  55. Yesh Atid, Democrats void deal with Likud after Netanyahu's son chosen for WZC role. The Jerusalem Post, October 29, 2025. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-872111
  56. Experts say death penalty law discriminatory and drastic, but not necessarily doomed. The Times of Israel, April 16, 2026. https://www.timesofisrael.com/experts-say-death-penalty-law-discriminatory-and-drastic-but-not-necessarily-doomed/
  57. Knesset database (KNS_Bill): bills 2197123, 2243017, 2204651, 2203944, 2197656, 2200328, 2200571 (Shabbat transport, Chief Rabbinate, rabbinical courts, conversion therapy, official cars on Shabbat). Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill()?$filter=BillID%20eq%202197123%20or%20BillID%20eq%202243017%20or%20BillID%20eq%202204651%20or%20BillID%20eq%202203944%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197656%20or%20BillID%20eq%202200328%20or%20BillID%20eq%202200571&$format=json
  58. Knesset database (KNS_Bill): bills on housing, rent, prices, competition, minimum wage and Kiryat Shmona (2197016, 2197557, 2234725, 2197590, 2200404, 2216984, 2238309, 2214652, 2197596, 2240742). Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill()?$filter=BillID%20eq%202197016%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197557%20or%20BillID%20eq%202234725%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197590%20or%20BillID%20eq%202200404%20or%20BillID%20eq%202216984%20or%20BillID%20eq%202238309%20or%20BillID%20eq%202214652%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197596%20or%20BillID%20eq%202240742&$format=json
  59. Knesset database (KNS_Bill): bills on an October 7 state commission, the attorney general, Basic Law: Nation-State, a sovereignty referendum, Arab representation and illegal weapons (2219454, 2226911, 2228070, 2221467, 2195992, 2201845, 2225835, 2197851, 2199805). Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill()?$filter=BillID%20eq%202219454%20or%20BillID%20eq%202226911%20or%20BillID%20eq%202228070%20or%20BillID%20eq%202221467%20or%20BillID%20eq%202195992%20or%20BillID%20eq%202201845%20or%20BillID%20eq%202225835%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197851%20or%20BillID%20eq%202199805&$format=json
  60. Knesset database (KNS_Bill): bills on military service, women in the IDF, civilian service, soldiers' pay and public transport for workers (2236084, 2234467, 2213737, 2220457, 2217047, 2238892). Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill()?$filter=BillID%20eq%202236084%20or%20BillID%20eq%202234467%20or%20BillID%20eq%202213737%20or%20BillID%20eq%202220457%20or%20BillID%20eq%202217047%20or%20BillID%20eq%202238892&$format=json
  61. Knesset database (KNS_BillInitiator): initiators of the bills in sources 57 to 60 (results run to more than one page). Knesset, accessed October 7, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_BillInitiator()?$filter=(BillID%20eq%202197123%20or%20BillID%20eq%202243017%20or%20BillID%20eq%202204651%20or%20BillID%20eq%202200571%20or%20BillID%20eq%202203944%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197656%20or%20BillID%20eq%202200328%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197016%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197557%20or%20BillID%20eq%202234725%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197590%20or%20BillID%20eq%202200404%20or%20BillID%20eq%202216984%20or%20BillID%20eq%202238309%20or%20BillID%20eq%202214652%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197596%20or%20BillID%20eq%202240742%20or%20BillID%20eq%202219454%20or%20BillID%20eq%202226911%20or%20BillID%20eq%202228070%20or%20BillID%20eq%202221467%20or%20BillID%20eq%202195992%20or%20BillID%20eq%202201845%20or%20BillID%20eq%202225835%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197851%20or%20BillID%20eq%202199805%20or%20BillID%20eq%202236084%20or%20BillID%20eq%202234467%20or%20BillID%20eq%202213737%20or%20BillID%20eq%202217047%20or%20BillID%20eq%202238892)%20and%20IsInitiator%20eq%20true&$format=json
  62. Knesset database (KNS_Status): bill status codes. Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Status()?$filter=TypeID%20eq%202&$format=json
  63. Knesset database (KNS_PersonToPosition): ministerial posts of Labor and Meretz ministers, 24th Knesset. Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_PersonToPosition()?$filter=KnessetNum%20eq%2024%20and%20(PersonID%20eq%2023673%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2012947%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2023651%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2023652%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2012961%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2023565)%20and%20(PositionID%20eq%2039%20or%20PositionID%20eq%2057%20or%20PositionID%20eq%2054)&$format=json
  64. Knesset database (KNS_Person): names of persons 23673, 12947, 23651, 23652, 12961, 23565. Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Person()?$filter=PersonID%20eq%2023673%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2012947%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2023651%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2023652%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2012961%20or%20PersonID%20eq%2023565&$format=json
  65. Knesset database (KNS_Bill): bills and laws on reservists, soldiers' pensions, women's shelters, October 7 commemoration, clean air and public transport planning (2208658, 1046320, 2201652, 2235351, 2208574, 2223725, 2223880, 2224126, 2214188, 2239563, 2197853, 2217010, 2216982). Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill()?$filter=BillID%20eq%202208658%20or%20BillID%20eq%201046320%20or%20BillID%20eq%202201652%20or%20BillID%20eq%202235351%20or%20BillID%20eq%202208574%20or%20BillID%20eq%202223725%20or%20BillID%20eq%202223880%20or%20BillID%20eq%202224126%20or%20BillID%20eq%202214188%20or%20BillID%20eq%202239563%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197853%20or%20BillID%20eq%202217010%20or%20BillID%20eq%202216982&$format=json
  66. Knesset database (KNS_BillInitiator): initiators of the bills in source 65 and of bills 2213737, 2234467, 2243017. Knesset, accessed October 6, 2026. https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_BillInitiator()?$filter=(BillID%20eq%202208658%20or%20BillID%20eq%201046320%20or%20BillID%20eq%202201652%20or%20BillID%20eq%202235351%20or%20BillID%20eq%202208574%20or%20BillID%20eq%202223725%20or%20BillID%20eq%202223880%20or%20BillID%20eq%202224126%20or%20BillID%20eq%202214188%20or%20BillID%20eq%202239563%20or%20BillID%20eq%202197853%20or%20BillID%20eq%202217010%20or%20BillID%20eq%202216982%20or%20BillID%20eq%202213737%20or%20BillID%20eq%202234467%20or%20BillID%20eq%202243017)%20and%20IsInitiator%20eq%20true&$format=json
  67. Ministers – 36th Government – August 2021. Government of Israel (gov.il), August 2021. https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/generalpage/spokespersons/en/file_2Ministers%20-%2036th%20Government%20-%20August%202021.pdf
  68. לאחר כשנתיים: הפרקליטות החליטה שלא להורות על חקירה פלילית נגד יאיר גולן. Israel Hayom, July 29, 2025. https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/law/article/18520779
  69. MK Gilad Kariv interrogated in leaked minutes case. JNS, April 8, 2025. https://www.jns.org/hold-tues-mk-gilad-kariv-interrogated-in-leaked-minutes-case/
  70. Investigation concluded into suspicion that Gilad Kariv leaked information from Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Ynetnews, July 9, 2025. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rknpls5ng
  71. ארגון לביא עתר לבג"ץ: להעמיד לדין את ח"כ קריב בפרשת הדלפת הפרוטוקול. JDN, July 9, 2026. https://www.jdn.co.il/news/2690648/
  72. Senior Democrats support evacuation of Judea and Samaria communities. Arutz Sheva (Israel National News), July 21, 2026. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430503
  73. היעדר תפיסת ביטחון לאומי (State Comptroller report on the national security concept). State Comptroller of Israel, November 2025. https://library.mevaker.gov.il/sites/DigitalLibrary/Documents/2025/Security-Conception/2025-Security-Conception.pdf
  74. נפתר המשבר בין הדמוקרטים למרצ: אלו המקומות המשוריינים ברשימה המאוחדת. Ynet, February 20, 2026. https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rybygcbdbx
  75. Plenum vote 44413: motion on applying sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley (71 for, 13 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), July 23, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/44413
  76. Plenum vote 44580: bill to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, preliminary reading (25 for, 24 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), October 22, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/44580
  77. Plenum vote 46248: Basic Law: Torah Study, third reading (63 for, 52 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), July 13, 2026 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/46248
  78. Plenum vote 46670: Security Service Law (Amendment No. 28 – temporary provision), third reading (58 for, 54 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), July 14, 2026 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/46670
  79. Plenum vote 43643: Basic Law: The Judiciary (Amendment No. 4), second reading (65 for, 47 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), March 27, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/43643
  80. Plenum vote 43884: Basic Law: The Judiciary (Amendment No. 4), third reading (67 for, 1 against, 2 present not voting) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), March 27, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/43884
  81. Plenum vote 44669: bill to set up a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, preliminary reading (45 for, 53 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), November 12, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/44669
  82. Plenum vote 44661: second bill to set up a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, preliminary reading (44 for, 52 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), November 12, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/44661
  83. Plenum vote 44946: coalition bill for a commission of inquiry into October 7 appointed through the Knesset, preliminary reading (53 for, 48 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), December 24, 2025 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/44946
  84. Plenum vote 36094: Public Housing (Increasing the Stock) Bill, preliminary reading (40 for, 44 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), November 24, 2021 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/36094
  85. Plenum vote 36100: National Insurance (Raising Child Allowances) Bill, preliminary reading (38 for, 43 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), November 24, 2021 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/36100
  86. Plenum vote 36118: National Insurance (Equalising the Disability Allowance with the Minimum Wage) Bill, preliminary reading (20 for, 22 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), December 1, 2021 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/36118
  87. Plenum vote 37100: Penal Law (Minimum Sentences for Weapons Offences) Bill, preliminary reading (53 for, 61 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), May 11, 2022 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/37100
  88. Plenum vote 37316: Public Transport Discount for People with Disabilities Bill, preliminary reading (47 for, 52 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), June 15, 2022 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/37316
  89. High Court strikes down law shielding haredi yeshiva students from arrest over draft evasion. The Jerusalem Post, September 3, 2026. https://jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-907553
  90. Knesset plenum votes 36635 (Security Service Law bill, integration of yeshiva students, first reading, January 31, 2022) and 41074 (motion to apply continuity to the same bill, June 11, 2024): official per-MK records. Knesset vote-details service, accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/36635 ; https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/41074
  91. מצע מפלגת העבודה לבחירות לכנסת ה-24 (Labor platform for the March 2021 election, copy hosted by IDI). Israel Labor Party / Israel Democracy Institute, 2021. https://www.idi.org.il/media/16030/%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%95%D7%93%D7%94.pdf
  92. החלטה מס' 55/25: החלטת ועדת האתיקה בקובלנות נגד חברת הכנסת נעמה לזימי. Knesset Ethics Committee, May 12, 2026. https://main.knesset.gov.il/Activity/committees/Ethics/Decisions25/Decisions25-55.pdf

Information availability

There is enough public information about this party. It has a detailed 16-page platform published in August 2026 [18], a voting and legislative record from four MKs in the current Knesset [8, 57–62], government experience through its predecessors Labor and Meretz in 2021–2022 [63, 64, 67], and wide news coverage. Gaps:

  • The platform does not say explicitly whether the party supports a Palestinian state or name a final border. The two-state position rests on statements: Golan's reported July 2026 podcast remarks, his February 2026 remarks on the settlement blocs, and Kariv's reported stance [18, 20, 24, 72].
  • Golan's statement at the start of the US–Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026 could not be found.
  • The main Knesset votes cited here were checked on October 12, 2026 against the Knesset's official per-MK vote records [75, 76, 77, 79]. The July 6, 2026 first-reading vote on the coalition's October 7 commission bill has no per-MK record in the Knesset's vote service and rests on a press report that "the opposition" boycotted it [46].
  • The State Attorney's decision on the Kariv investigation file was still pending when this was rechecked on October 12, 2026, so that section may change [70, 71].
  • Several bills from the Knesset database that are mentioned in other sections (for example, the reservist and survivors' pension bills and laws) are cited through the initiators and bill records rather than their full texts.