Below are the names and platforms of the parties running for the Seventeenth Knesset. Each party and logo is linked to the official party web site (if available). The situation is still quite fluid and updates have been made to the major parties, however, many parties are still in the process of sorting out their new platforms and party lists and the site will be updated as new information become available.
Since the small parties that are currently not in the Knesset have narrow special interest platforms, only a brief party platform is provided.
Major Political Parties
Campaign Slogans: In formation
Key Points In Platform:
- Wants to restart negotiations with the Palestinians based upon the "land for peace" formula within the framework of the Oslo Accords
- In favor of a Palestinian state
- Willing to consider unilateral withdrawal from certain parts of the West Bank
- Favors maintaining the religious status quo
View the Labor detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: In Formation
Key Points In Platform:
- Willing to negotiate peace with Palestinian leadership "not compromised by terror"
- Not in favor of a Palestinian state, but concedes its likely inevitability.
- Opposed to dismantling of settlements
- Favors maintaining status quo in religious/state issues
View the Likud detailed party platform.
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Small Political Parties Running for Re-election
Campaign Slogans: No shady dealing; No sly transactions
- Headed by David Magen, sole remaining Member of Knesset from this crumbling centrist party.
- Strong social welfare focus - safeguarding pensions, helping the unemployed and keeping mortgages low
- Views Oslo Accords as a failure and determined to fight terror
View Center Party's detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: The best on the right
- Unflinching right-wing platform based on security and demographic rationale
- Voluntary re-settlement of Arabs not wishing to live in a Jewish State in Arab countries
- Full responsibilities for all citizens of Israel including national service by the Arab population.
View Herut's detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: 1) You are our choice. Meretz; 2) A healthy Israel instead of an ill occupation; and 3) Mister Chairman, honorable Mafia, the vote for Meretz is a clean ballot (in reference to allegations of corruption in Labor and Likud primaries).
- Left-wing social democratic secular party
- Supports a just and comprehensive peace between Israel and its neighbors
- Dismantlement of settlements and withdrawal from West Bank and Gaza Strip
- Human, civil rights and social justice agenda
- Ecology and a safe environment agenda
View the Meretz detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: To be announced
- Israeli Arab party
- Israel should be a democratic state of all its citizens
- Supports right of return for Arab refugees from the 1948 war
- Full Israeli withdrawal from West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem
- Supports creation of a Palestinian state
View the National Democratic Alliance (Balad) detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: 1) Guarding our home. NRP. 2) We give the soul (neshama) to the state (Also can be read: We give our utmost to the state)
- Advocates religious Jewish lifestyle as well as full participation in Israeli society
- Retention of the territories based on security, Biblical and Zionistic beliefs
- Represents interests of citizens living in communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip
- Favors expansion of communities in the territories as part of the Jewish nation's right and obligation to settle the Land of Israel
View the National Religious Party (Mafdal) detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: Don't leave Sharon with Mitzna
- Coalition of right-wing secular parties - Moledet, Tekuma and Israel Beteinu
- Voluntary transfer of Arabs from the West Bank and Gaza to other Arab countries
- Against concessions to the Palestinian Authority and creation of a Palestinian state
- Tough attitude towards security
View National Union's detailed party platform.
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Shas 
Campaign Slogans: 1) Shas - Not just good for the soul; 2) Strengthen Sharon - Vote Shas!
- Sephardic religious movement, led by spiritual mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
- Governmental policies should be based on strict Jewish law
- In the past, prepared to relinquish land in return for peace, but uncomfortable with this policy given increased terror
View the Shas detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: 1) We need change in the government! (Note: change = "shinui" in Hebrew); 2) There is a party to vote for - Shinui!; 3) A clean party, for a change
- Liberal, Zionist, secular party
- For a secular state in form of separating religion and state
- Will not sit in a government with ultra-orthodox religious parties
- In favor of territorial compromise for peace, but tough on security
- Supports a free-market economy and privatization of government owned businesses
View the Shinui detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: There's no democracy without equality!
- Communist ideology
- Improving status of disadvantaged Israelis
- Formation of democratic and secular constitution
- Improving rights for Israeli Arabs and women
- Supports Israel as a state of all its citizens rather than a 'Jewish State'
- Supports formation of a Palestinian state
- Supports rights of Palestinian refugees of 1948 to either return ("right of return") or be compensated for property abandoned
View the Hadash detailed party platform.
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United Arab List 
Campaign Slogans: To be announced
- Union of three Israeli Arab parties - United Arab Party (Ra'am), Arab National Party (Mada) and Islamic Movement
- Israel should become a state of all its inhabitants and not have overtly Jewish character
- Full Israeli withdrawal from West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem
- Establishment of Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital
- Right of return for Palestinian refugees of 1948
View United Arab List's detailed party platform.
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United Torah Judaism 
Campaign Slogans: So that we can live here!
- Coalition of two Ashkenazi ultra-orthodox parties
- Governmental policies should be based on Jewish law
- Believes the Land of Israel was given by G-d to the Jewish People
View the United Torah Judaism detailed party platform.
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Campaign Slogans: Now you have a voice!
- Immigrant party founded by Natan Sharansky
- Represent and advance rights of all immigrants, with particular focus on immigrants from the former Soviet Union
- Views democratized Palestinian Authority as key to progress on peace process
- Does not favor a Palestinian state
View the Yisrael B'Aliya detailed party platform.
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Small Political Parties (Currently not in the Knesset)
Ahavat Yisrael 
Campaign Slogans: Those for G-d, To Me!
- Led by Rabbi Yossi Kadourie, son of famed Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Kadourie
- Religious, Sephardic party running as an alternative to Shas
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Citizen and State 
Campaign Slogans: Because it's time to save Israel!
- Believes that immigrants from the former Soviet Union are most capable of solving Israel's problems
- Wants more transparency ("Glasnost") in government
- Supports separation of religion and state, army service for all and a unified educational system.
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Campaign Slogans: Power to the workers. The vote of conscience.
- Marxist party operating inside Israel to organize the working class, especially the Arab workers.
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Father's Heritage Party 
Campaign Slogans: To be announced
- Led by eccentric Rabbi Yosef Ba-Gad
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Campaign Slogans: For equal opportunity in Israeli society.
- Against globalization and the rule of "big money"
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Campaign Slogans: A vote for freedom
- Advocates legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use
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Leader 
Campaign Slogans: To be announced
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Campaign Slogans: I too am voting for the idea of equality
- Equal rights for both men and women in Israeli family law
- Revocation of Israeli law that gives preference to women in child custody cases
- Men should also have a right to choose to terminate a pregnancy of an unwanted child
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National Progressive Alliance 
Campaign Slogans: To be announced
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Campaign Slogans: Only the Greens defend the country. ("Country" alternates with "land" "water" and "air" in party slogans).
- Focused on improving quality of life in Israel - particularly as relates to safeguarding the environment
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Tzedek Hevarti - Za'am 
Campaign Slogans: To be announced
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Campaign Slogans: Now more than ever!
- Modern, secular conservative political party
- Tough security posture
- No further transfer of Israeli lands to the Palestinian Authority or Arab nations
- Draft of ultra-orthodox (haredi) into the army
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Campaign Slogans: 1) Let's clean out the Knesset from the inside and 2) Government without politicians
- Committed to bringing new people and ideas into government
- Favors two term limit for Knesset members to stifle the creation of career politicians
- Supports raising the threshold for party entry into the Knesset to 5% of the vote, up from the current 1.5%
- Support the building of a security fence as obstacle to terror and eventual establishment of Palestinian state.
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