APCO's Tel Aviv team outlines the key players and critical issues involved in Israel's 2019 elections.

1. 2019 ISRAEL ELECTIONS
A brief guide on what to expect on April 9th

2. Israel has a parliamentary system with one legislative chamber, the 120-seat
‘Knesset’. Members of Knesset (MKs) are elected in national, direct elections based
on the party-list proportional representation system. Each party that passes the
electoral threshold of 3.25% receives the number of parliamentary seats relative to
its percentage of the valid votes. Party lists are finalized several weeks ahead of the
election, with parties internally determining their candidates’ ranking. A Knesset is
elected for a four-year term, however the average lifetime of a Knesset is 3.4 years.
Following the elections, the President summons all the elected parties to submit
their recommended candidate for Prime Minister. The President then assigns the
task of forming a government to the party leader who has the greatest chance of
establishing a coalition government with a majority of MKs (61). Historically, the
leader of the party receiving the most votes has been tasked with forming the new
government.
During the past two decades, no single party has received more than 25% of the valid
votes, resulting in the formation of coalition governments – which have consistently
featured four or more parties. In the upcoming elections, ten to 13 medium-sized and
small political parties are expected to win seats. As such, the party leader designated
with forming a government is expected to face a complex task in lobbying other parties
to join a coalition. This will likely require the courting of parties with rather different
ideologies and agendas, and having to make significant concessions.
THE ISRAELI ELECTORAL SYSTEM

3. Tamar
Zandberg
Meretz
Centrist PartiesZionist Left Parties
Avi
Gabbay
Labour
Benny Gantz
Yair Lapid
Orly Levi
Gesher
Blue & White
Right Wing Parties
Moshe
Kahlon
Kulanu
Benjamin
Netanyahu
Likud
Avigdor
Liberman
Yisrael Beiteinu
Naftali Bennett
Ayelet Shaked
New Right
Rafi Peretz
Bezalel Smotrich
Union of Right-Wing
Parties
• The Left and Right of the political spectrum is mainly
differentiated by their approach to the Arab-Israeli Conflict
and on views of the level of separation of “Church and
State”.
• The larger and medium-sized parties are situated close to
the center on main electoral issues.
• Other parties take more extreme positions.
• Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz/Yair Lapid are
considered to be frontrunners for the position of Prime
Minister.
Non-Zionist Arab Parties Ultra-Orthodox Parties
Yaacov
Litzman
United Torah
Judaism
Aryeh Deri
Shas
Ayman Odeh
Ahmad Tibi
Mtanes Shihadeh
Mansour Abbas
Hadash + Ta’al Balad + Ra’am
KEY CANDIDATES, THEIR PARTIES & EMPHASIS

4. 9 April
Vote Counting
Initial results will become available
the following day
10 April
Formal Election
Results Published
Designated Prime
Minister has 28 days to
form a Governing
Coalition
New Government
The designated Prime
Minister may ask for an
extra 14 days to
complete the formation
of a coalitionEarly May
(approx.)
ELECTION TIMELINE
17 April 23 April
Formal Consultations
The President will consult with all
political parties and subsequently task
the Knesset Member with the best
chance of forming a governing
coalition
Voting Day
Voting closes at 10PM, Exit
Polls are published
Inauguration of
Elected Knesset
Members
After April 17

5. Peace Process
The Trump Administration is expected to
release its Israel-Palestinian peace plan after
the elections. The Israeli Right includes
voices in favor of maintaining the status quo
and/or annexation of Jewish settlements in
the West Bank, whereas the Center and Left
mostly advocate for bilateral negotiations with
the Palestinian Authority (PA) and/or
unilateral withdrawals from most of the West
Bank with the exception of the Settlement
Blocs.
Security
There is a broad consensus across the
political spectrum from Right to Left that
Iran’s perceived malign influence in the
region – especially in Syria (which
borders Israel) – is Israel’s greatest
security threat. With Russian support for
the Syrian Regime, Israel has to maintain
a good relationship with President Putin
and the Kremlin.
There is disagreement between the
different parties on policy over Hamas in
the Gaza Strip, with some advocating for
indirect negotiations aimed at reaching a
long-term truce and others calling for a
decisive military campaign against the
organization.
Regional Rapprochement &
Looking Eastwards
The majority of the political spectrum
embraces Israel’s growing relations with
the Gulf Arab states, though the Center and
Left caution that progress with the
Palestinians is needed for these ties to
reach their full potential. Likewise, there is
broad support for expanding diplomatic and
trade relations in Asia, though some have
warned against the potentially adverse
ramifications of growing ties with China on
Israel’s traditionally close and strategic
relationship with the U.S.
KEY ISSUES – PEACE AND SECURITY

6. Economic Affairs
Israel’s high cost of living has emerged as
a key domestic issue since large-scale
protests in 2011. The Left favors greater
social benefits and expanded government
programs to support the lower socio-
economic groups, while the Right often
urges expanded market competition and
removing protectionist barriers for
traditional domestic industries.
Corruption & Rule of Law
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit
announced in late February his intent to
prosecute current prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on charges of fraud, bribery and
breach of trust. Opponents of the prime
minister argue that the indictments should
warrant his resignation, while supporters
maintain that the indictments are not a
guilty sentence and that the prime
minister’s statesmanship and competency
in security and foreign policy override
corruption investigations. Some supporters
are also advocating legislation to prevent a
sitting premier from being investigated.
Socio-Economic Issues
There is a growing divide between secular
and religious Jews on the place of religion
in the public domain. This divide is
manifested in disputes such as the ultra-
Orthodox enlistment exemptions, lack of
public transportation on the Sabbath, public
infrastructure work on he Sabbath and
more.
Over the past year there have been mass
demonstrations in support of LGBTQ,
ethnic minorities, and women’s rights, with
many concerned over a perceived decline
in support for tolerance and pluralism.
Israel has one of the highest rates of
poverty and wealth inequality among OECD
countries, with nearly 50% of the Arab and
Ultra-Orthodox populations living below the
poverty line.
KEY ISSUES – ECONOMY AND SOCIETY

7. In an analysis of over 42,000 Social Media
conversations focused on the elections over the
past 30 days, APCO has found that discussions
were primarily focused on the key issues of
Corruption & Rule of Law, followed by Security and
Foreign Policy. The issues discussed least were
Economic Affairs and the Peace Process.
SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS
Portfolio 2000
Portfolio 1000

8. www.apcoworldwide.com
For more information, contact :
Roi Feder, managing director, Tel Aviv
rfeder@apcoworldwide.com