- If a party that aspires to democracy and equality cannot maintain the rule of law, it cannot be expected to govern (and other failures)
Before qualifying for the Israeli bar and starting my Israeli legal career as a hi-tech lawyer, I joined the Meretz party. Joining a political party shares certain elements with signing a contract: potential members are invited to read the party’s constitution in order to understand its ideology, the defined rights and obligations, and the procedures meant to ensure internal democracy.
At the time, Meretz seemed to be the right place for me, but the gap between theory and reality proved striking: Despite running a visible campaign in the 2022 primaries — “Ofra Kaplan, the Haredi woman competing in the Meretz primaries under the banner Torah im Derech Meretz” — and placing 23rd, my name was ultimately omitted from the party’s official list of 120 candidates submitted to the Knesset.
This, and other internal party improprieties, may help explain the approximately eighteen million shekel debt that Meretz reportedly faced at the end of 2022.
Democracy, as a mechanism, includes majority rule, but its essence involves the interplay between equality, transparency, basic fairness and integrity. So if, like me, you are someone who demonstrates for “Dem-o-cra-tia,” you need to ensure that the ways you seek to strengthen it are themselves “dem-o-cra-tic.”
For the last local elections in Karmiel, I was asked to connect Arabic-speaking residents with Hozeh Hadash — a party aligned with anti–judicial reform protesters — with the aim of building a shared civic bloc against locals who wanted to “preserve the Jewish character of the city.” But when it came time to translate principle into practice, the answer was clear: including non-Jewish candidates on the list might “upset the base.”
In Be’er Sheva, I honored a prior commitment to attend a local Meretz meeting — even when it conflicted with a higher-profile event in Tel Aviv. I was later told this was “politically inept.” In other words, my integrity was seen not as a value, but as a liability.
Across the current opposition, internal processes are bent or ignored, representation is selective, and instead of building broad, consensual trust, the focus remains on ego, short-term thinking, and power.
More recently, there have been reports of Yair Golan planning to ditch his agreement with former Meretz seniors who had been promised places high up in the Democratim list and replacing them with shiny, young, anti-government protestors.
Political leaders breaking their word does not surprise me. But it does disappoint.
Similarly, Arab leaders seem unable to get their act together in order to give Israeli Arabs a meaningful voice in the Knesset, because of their failure to agree who will actually head the Joint List. Although not itself an example of corruption, this clearly demonstrates how elected leaders in the non-Bibi camp repeatedly fail their electorate by behaving in the same egotistical fashion as the politicians they criticize.
A Different Kind of Model?
Last year, I joined a party whose name and structure seemed to offer something different: “All Its Citizens.” On paper, it is exactly what Israeli democracy needs. Its constitution is not just declarative; it is structural. Leadership is designed to be shared: Jewish and Arabic-speaking co-chairs, shared executive roles, and institutionalized partnership at every level. It does not merely speak about equality — it attempts to build it into the system itself.
Unfortunately, this model — designed to guarantee shared leadership — has only been partially implemented. To date, there is little public visibility of shared leadership. Fundamental positions of office remain unbalanced. The gap between vision and execution is significant.
The individuals involved are committed, capable, and impressive. But if a political party that aspires to democracy and equality cannot maintain the rule of law and discipline of its own constitution, then how can it be expected to govern?
What Real Democracy Requires
A truly democratic Israel requires that political parties adhere to their own constitutions, maintain transparent internal processes, hold meaningful primaries and submit to independent oversight.
Without this, “democracy” becomes a slogan rather than a system.
A truly democratic Israel means outlawing political parties based on, or addressing single issues such as religion, age, gender, sexuality, conscription or medical cannabis. It also means creating a culture in which elected leaders will serve not only those who voted for them but also those who did not vote for them.
A truly democratic Israel means upholding the rule of law — ensuring that building and traffic regulations are enforced not only against the powerless — and fostering a culture in which everyday civic violations, from failing to clean up after one’s dog to cutting queues or evading taxes, are taken seriously.
But citizens will not be shocked by these “minor” infractions until leaders articulate the connection between everyday civic behavior, national resilience, and geopolitical order.
One simple democratic principle is all it takes: a commitment to end all legislation based on religion, race, gender, social status or geographical location.
Only a leader, or leaders who embrace this principle can bestow the sense to every citizen that Israel belongs to them. A sense of belonging is the core of repairing the social contract. A sense of belonging is the basis from which to foster peace between Jews and non-Jews.
The current government will not be voted out of office because of accusations about Qatari money in suitcases, or because of accusations about jobs to friends and family, allegations of modifying written protocols, bribing government officials, abusing public funds, and making laws to facilitate convicted criminals to hold public office.
The reason that highlighting these issues will not cause a regime change is because the politics of “us” and “them” is so strong. Divisive politics gives people a sense that they belong – but in reality they simply belong to a group of people united by shared fears (and hatred?) of the “Other.”
Only one type of leadership can defeat this fear and overcome the politics of “us and “them”: this is leadership that serves all the people and thinks beyond its “base.” Unfortunately, as yet, no Israeli person, or persons, have emerged with the vision or courage to carry the flag of leadership of all its citizens.
BY: Ofra Kaplan
About the Author
I am a Hareidi woman, a resident of northern Israel, and a candidate for Joint Party Secretary of the Israeli political party “All Its Citizens”. The views expressed here are my personal views and not necessarily of “All its Citizens”.
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Union‘ point of view
