Far from fringe: How Israel’s mainstream parties vote with the far right

Israelis head to the polls on October 27 in the first election since the genocide in Gaza and the wars on Lebanon and Iran, a vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule.Since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset, has passed or advanced a wave of laws and motions affecting Palestinians, from rejecting their statehood and backing annexation of the occupied West Bank to cutting off the aid they receive.Israel’s Jewish-led opposition casts itself as the alternative to Netanyahu’s right-wing government, but when it comes to Palestinians, the two often vote as one.What do left and right mean in Israel?Left and right are the most common way of mapping where parties stand on a political spectrum. The left generally favours more state spending and is more liberal on immigration and minority rights. The right generally favours lower taxes, tighter borders and a cohesive national identity.In Israel, the labels work differently. They are defined less by economics than by the conflict with Palestinians. Broadly, the left has been associated with territorial compromise and negotiations, and the right with opposi...