Column: New Jewish Narrative
Israel’s Knesset elections, the day before
Oct 26, 2026
Q. Let’s skip predictions for now and talk about insights we can glean from these elections that are relevant to Israel in general as well as to the next election. Note that the next election might be around the corner if this contest does not produce a concrete and workable outcome in the form of a stable coalition.
Let’s start by looking at the most obvious of the broader dynamics: there is no longer a significant left-right divide in Israeli political life. Aside from The Democrats--former Labor and Meretz--all the Zionist parties are center-right, right wing and right-religious in orientation. Further, the religious element is prominent even in ostensibly ‘secular’ party lists like Yashar (Eizenkot) and the Likud. Not to mention Yahad head Naftali Bennett, the only Orthodox former prime minister, who has excelled as the most dynamic campaigner of this round of elections.
This seemingly new dichotomy between a large ‘Jewish’ (i.e., religious or traditional) majority and a small secular ‘Israeli’ minority appears to be one side-effect on the national psyche of the October 7, 2023 massacre in the Gaza Periphery and of the ensuing three-year (and counting) war. This is one side-effect that is not likely to fade any time soon.
Another is national paranoia. Prime Minister Netanyahu played on this with last minute attempts to sell the public fears of massive economic sanctions (“We’ll rely on bitcoin”) and attack by Iran (an AI portrayal of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv). Netanyahu’s own private paranoia led him to beg US President Trump not once but twice for a social media endorsement.
Yossi Alpher's Death Tango: Ariel Sharon, Yasser Arafat and Three Fateful Days in March
"Anyone seeking to understand how Israelis and Palestinians traded the hopes of Oslo for something approaching hopelessness is well-advised to read this book. With penetrating analysis and elegant prose, Yossi Alpher has told the gripping story of three days nearly two decades ago that continue to haunt would-be peacemakers. Yossi’s faithful readers will not be disappointed with his latest effort."
Ambassador Frederic C. Hof, Bard College
"A riveting account of the crucial days in March 2002 when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was profoundly changed for the worse. The peace camp has never recovered from those wrenching days, and we live now without any hope of a just settlement. Alpher is a highly respected expert who has spent decades studying this conflict from both sides."
Bruce Riedel, Director of the Brookings Intelligence Project
"A critical assessment of a key period in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict never before presented in such detail. The best and most capable players at the executive and political levels proved unable to forge any resolution, final or partial, because both parties continued to maintain an insurmountable gulf between themselves. This is a MUST read for anyone daring to tackle the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and of Israel-Arab relations in general."
Efraim Halevy, former Head of the Mossad (1998-2002)
Oraib Khader and Avi Bar-On are youngish Palestinian and Israeli bachelors with security experience, readiness to do business with one another, a shared fondness for women and money, and total cynicism about the lack of peace between their two peoples.
Oraib and Avi can never become true friends: the cultural and political gaps are too wide. But as they confront a failed peace process and a bleak peace future, they readily become business partners: shady business that exploits a lot of naïve international peace aspirations.
As Oraib sums up on a visit to Sarpsborg, Norway, where the ultimately-failed Oslo peace talks were held, “There is a lesson here for those who still doggedly and hopelessly pursue a two-state solution in the Middle East. Get smart. Get out of the Israeli-Palestinian peace business. Step back and let the Jews and Arabs screw one another while making money.”