Current Israeli Knesset

Likud

32 seats, Benjamin Netanyahu, emerged from Herut (founded by Menachem Begin), relies on coalitions with religious parties. Far right party (Gov Coalition)

Yesh Atid

24 seats, Yair Lapid, centrist party, focused on economic reform and affordable housing and jobs rather than Palestinians. Main Opposition

Religious Zionist Party

14 seats, Bezalel Smotric,h A far-right party that evolved from the more moderate National Religious Party (NRP). Advocates for annexation of the West Bank, deportation of Arab Israelis, and transforming Israel into a theocracy. Compined with Jewish Power (6 seats) and Noam parties (1 seat). (Gov Coalition)

National Unity

14 seats, Benny Gantz, center-right party. Consists largely of defectors from Likud and is positioned to the right of Yesh Atid

Shas

11 seats, Aryeh Deri, A Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party with strong support from Moroccan Jews. While religiously conservative, Shas voters are motivated by both religious identity and socioeconomic concerns. (Governing coalition)

UTJ (United Torah Judaism)

7 seats, Yitzhak Goldknopf, Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party. Historically, ultra-Orthodox parties were anti-Zionist, believing only God could end Jewish exile, though they've become more integrated into Israeli politics. (Governing Coalition)

Yisrael Beiteinu

6 seats, Avigdor Lieberman, right-wing party traditionally represents Russian-speaking immigrants

Ra’am

5 seats, Mansour Abbas, An Islamist Arab Israeli party that made history by joining Bennett's coalition government in 2021, marking the first time an Arab party was included in an Israeli governing coalition

Hadash-Ta’al

5 seats, Ayman Odeh, An Arab-majority alliance combining the communist Hadash party with the nationalist Ta'al party.

Labor

4 seats, (No Leader Listed) Once Israel's dominant party (known earlier as Mapai), Labor led Israel from 1948 to 1977, winning eight consecutive elections. It has declined dramatically and shifted rightward, becoming at best a center-right party. Many former Labor members defected to other parties like Kadima

Meretz

0 seats, (No Leader Listed) A left-wing Zionist party formed in 1992. The name means "energy" in Hebrew, reflecting its founders' desire to energize the peace process under Rabin. Emerged from Mapam, which split from Labor in 1984 when Labor formed a unity government with Likud. The current Israeli political landscape shows a rightward shift, with traditional left parties weakened and religious parties gaining influence. Netanyahu's coalition depends on ultra-Orthodox and far-right religious Zionist parties, reflecting the growing power of religious elements in Israeli politics.