In Israel, some parties represent a hyper-specific demographic or an interest. These groups cannot be labeled “right-wing” or “left-wing” and usually take positions that are more out-there. I’m calling them third parties because it seems like the best Western equivalent, but these parties are really more than an American Green or Libertarian Party. These parties, despite holding views that are very far from the political establishment, actually have a significant effect on the government. According to recent polls, these three parties could win up to one third of the available seats in the Knesset. One issue that many “third” parties take a controversial stance on is the idea of Zionism. For decades, Israel had parties that defined themselves as Islamist, anti-Zionist, or non-Zionist (more on those later).
Shas
Shas is the largest religious party in Israel, currently holding 11 seats. They were founded in 1984 by Israel’s chief Sephardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who led the party spiritually until 2013. They’re socially conservative and fiscally liberal, and they’ve been described as social democrats. They represent the Mizrahi and Sephardi Haredim in Israel, a recent but growing faction in Israeli society. They were historically very populist and appealed to the broader Mizrahi (Jews that immigrated from the Arab world) community by speaking to them directly (at the time, Mizrahi Jews were largely ignored by mainstream Israeli institutions). Contreversially, they oppose any form of public homosexuality, including Gay Pride parades. According to recent polls, they are projected to win between 8 and 11 seats in the upcoming elections. Imagine a party with welfare-based economics and very conservative, pro-family social values. That’s Shas.
Joint List
The Joint List is a coalition of Arab parties and the Communist party. The main platform of the party is to advocate for the interests of Arab-Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The three main parties that run the Joint List are Balad, a left-wing, Anti-Zionist, Palestinian nationalist party, Hadash-Ta’al, a Communist, secularist party, and Ra’am, a conservative, Islamist party. The Joint List first ran in 2015, winning 13 seats and 10% of the vote. This made them the third largest party in the Knesset. It was brought back for 2020 where it retained its strength but lost significant votes in 2021. Ra’am left the party in 2021, and it remained separate until January 2026. Today, a new Joint List has been announced, and it’s currently polling at around 13 seats in the Knesset. If that poll is correct, they’ll be the second largest party in Israel. It’s unlikely that they join the Netanyahu government, even though Ra’am is said to be open to joining other governments.
UTJ - United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism is a Haredi (ultra-orthodox Jewish) party that is unique not because it takes any strong social or economic stances that really differentiate it from Shas or other religious parties, but because it’s explicitly non-Zionist. Founded in 1992, the party currently holds 7 seats as a part of PM Netanyahu’s government. They’re culturally conservative and economically center-left, which is the norm for religious parties. Jewish non-Zionism is the idea that the secular state of Israel was founded upon principles that are against Judaism. In essence, they don’t think Israel should be dismantled, but they don’t think it’s worth fighting for–at least not in its current state. In fact, one of the two groups that make up UTJ is called “Degel HaTorah” (flag of the Torah), a clear dig at the flag of Israel. The party’s following is mostly made up of Haredi Ashkenazi Jews, and the leadership stems from Hasidic dynasties going back centuries. They’re currently projected to win between 7 and 9 seats, which could be an upgrade on their current 7.