A democratic celebration or a rigged game? The issue stirring the political system | Listen

Three central parties on the political map in Israel — The Democrats, Religious Zionism, and Likud — have declared that they will hold primaries ahead of the upcoming election cycle. On paper, this is a celebration of internal party democracy and the right of tens of thousands of registered members to determine who will lead them and serve as public representatives in the Knesset. However, behind the scenes, the system continues to stir deep public and political controversy, raising pointed questions about the essence of the process.

Are powerful forces, pressure groups, and mechanisms operating behind the scenes that influence the results, or is it a free and genuine choice by the grassroots? In the new episode of the podcast "Al Ze" ("About This"), Ili Zilberberg and Yaakov Hershkowitz dive deep into the political system, analyze the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the three parties, and expose the hidden interests that shape the lists for the Knesset.

Democratic distortion

Likud, which is expected to hold primaries at the beginning of August, depending on the security situation, is an excellent case study for what happens behind the scenes. "In Likud, the influence of the registered members is enormous. In fact, the situation is a bit unfair," explains Zilberberg. "Thousands of Haredim, for example, registered for Likud and do not intend to vote for it. The party operatives have much more power than the individual voter who arrives at the polling station and casts a ballot for Likud led by Benjamin Netanyahu. There is a certain democratic distortion in the primaries."

"In parties that hold primaries, there is something slightly rotten. If you have an independent position that contradicts the faction's position, you will not be able to vote against the faction," says Hershkowitz.

A question of support

Through the primaries in Likud, one can also conclude to what extent the democratic essence is maintained. "Today, a large part of the primaries revolves around support for Netanyahu," says Zilberberg. "I don't want to say that you have to be a groupie of Netanyahu to be part of the party, but support for him is indeed an important component. No one will dare to come out against him today openly — except for very strong people with many registered members in Likud."