Not Every Breakthrough Is a Revolution: What the US and Israeli Elections Teach About Representation, Diversity, and Exclusion
The 2026 US midterm elections show breakthroughs for Black, Latina, and Indigenous women, but the number of women in the Senate is expected to drop. In Israel, the number of women in the Knesset rose to 33, yet their representation in Arab local authorities remains low. The article distinguishes between point achievements and structural change, asking who truly gets to influence politics.
The 2026 US midterm elections produced headlines about historic breakthroughs: Black, Latina, and Indigenous women were elected to senior positions, but the number of women in the Senate is expected to drop from 27 to 23. The House of Representatives saw a slight increase in the number of women, but the change is not uniform across parties. The article distinguishes between point achievements and structural change, noting that presence does not necessarily mean equality. In Israel, the 25th Knesset had 29 women (24%), and in the 2026 elections 33 women were elected (27.5%). On the local level, in the 2024 elections 14 women were elected as heads of local authorities out of 242, and the proportion of council members remains particularly low in Arab local authorities. The article emphasizes that women's representation is not uniform, and that Arab women face gender barriers alongside national and ethnic barriers. It raises the question of whether the political participation of Arab citizens is perceived as a natural part of democracy or as an exceptional issue.