Elections in Israel: The big mistake of the parties ahead of election day

Eran Eldar argues that Israeli parties continue to err by focusing on proving the opponent's failure instead of offering a better alternative. He compares the current situation to the 1981 elections, where the Alignment failed to understand why it lost to Begin, who focused on identity and belonging rather than criticism. The article asserts that elections are a competition between dreams, not between indictments.

Eran Eldar analyzes in an opinion piece the strategic mistake of Israeli parties ahead of the elections. He argues that parties focus on proving the failure of the other side, while the voter needs to be convinced that the alternative understands them better. Eldar compares the current situation to the 1981 elections, where the Alignment led by Shimon Peres lost to Menachem Begin. According to him, the Alignment thought elections were a referendum on the incumbent government, while Begin understood they were a referendum on the alternative. The Alignment focused on criticism and failures, while Begin focused on identity and belonging. Eldar concludes that the lesson is also relevant for 2026: elections are a competition between dreams, not between indictments, and anger at the opponent is no substitute for trust in the alternative.