What ‘right’ and ‘left’ mean in Israel today

Palestinian political analyst and researcher from inside Israel. Published On 9 Sep 20269 Sep 2026.

What happened

For readers outside Israel, the words "right" and "left" can be misleading when applied to Israeli politics. In Europe or the United States, those labels are usually organised around taxation, welfare, labour, immigration, race, religion and the size of administration. Israel has versions of these debates, but they do not structure its party system in the same way.

For decades, the Israeli divide has centred on a different set of questions: the Palestinians, territory, security, settlements, the meaning of Zionism and the tension between the Jewish character of the state and its democratic institutions. Economic and social policy still matter, but they often cut throughout the camps rather than defining them. A politician can favour state intervention in the economy and still be treated as firmly right-wing; another can be socially liberal and remain inside the nationalist camp.

The bottom line

In short, what 'right' and 'left' mean in Israel today is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.