Israel Elections 2021

The 2021 legislative elections in Israel were held on March 23, 2021, in order to elect the members of the 24th Knesset. The elections were the fourth in two years and were triggered by the dissolution of the Likud-Blue and White coalition which lasted for less than a year.

A total of 39 parties registered to run in the elections, although several dropped out shortly ahead of election day itself.

The election results saw the Likud party receive 30 seats, seven less than they had held in the 23rd Knesset, followed by Yesh Atid with 17, and then Shas with nine. Meretz, Haavodah, and Ra'am, received six, seven, and four seats respectively, despite uncertainty about whether or not any of them would pass the minimum threshold.

As leader of the largest majority, Benjamin Netanyahu was charged with forming a government by then-president Reuven Rivlin. Upon his failure to do so by the deadline, the mandate was passed onto Yair Lapid as leader of the second-largest party.

Together with Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid set out to form a wide coalition encompassing parties from the left such as Meretz and Haavodah, and the right, Yamina and New Hope. Mansour Abbas' Ra'am signed a coalition agreement with Lapid on June 2, just several hours before the deadline, making Ra'am the first Arab party to sit in government.

On June 13, 2021, the thirty-sixth government of Israel was sworn in with Naftali Bennett as Prime Minister and Yair Lapid set to take over as head of government in 2023.

Religious identity remains Israel's strongest political divide, new IDI study finds

While the relationship between religion and political affiliation remained largely stable compared to the previous election, the study identified several notable shifts between 2021 and 2022.

JUNE 29, 2026|ByLEO FEIERBERG BETTER

A voting box in the last Israeli election in 2015

Head of the left wing Meretz party Zehava Gal-On leaving after a meeting with Labor leader and Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid at Lapid's home in Tel Aviv on September 10, 2022.

New Meretz campaign video depicts violence by Netanyahu supporters

The video includes clips of violence inserted every few seconds, in between the words "this violence did not start now. It has been like this for two years, just like then."

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022|ByELIAV BREUER

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting, March 20, 2022.

Israel elections: Bennett is crashing in the polls

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Yamina Party would win four seats if an election was held today, losing three seats in a span of three days.

JUNE 24, 2022|ByELIAV BREUER

Dozens of Evangelical Christians are seen attending the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, on June 10, 2021.

Christians pledge unconditional support for Israel at prayer breakfast

Speakers call to move more embassies to Jerusalem * Rabbi: ‘We are in a crisis, at a crossroads’

JUNE 10, 2021|ByMAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

Israeli society needs to draw a redline on political extremists

Can you imagine Itamar Ben-Gvir serving as chairman of the Knesset Judiciary Committee? Or as education minister?

MARCH 25, 2021ByYOAV ENDE

BEZALEL SMOTRICH (left) and Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrate at Religious Zionist Party headquarters in Modi’in on election night

My Word: Political spins and positive spins

True, four times in two years – and the threat of a fifth looming large – is not good, but it’s better than having no elections at all.

MARCH 25, 2021ByLIAT COLLINS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) in front of a bust of Theodor Herzl. Both are wearing COVID-19 masks.

Gideon Sa’ar is the man who would have been king

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: When he left the Likud in December to form the New Hope Party from which he hoped to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pollsters initially gave him 20 seats.

MARCH 25, 2021ByTOVAH LAZAROFF

NEW HOPE party leader Gideon Sa’ar – he never developed a platform that would draw centrist voters in.

Opposition to Netanyahu could overcome internal fights and bring him down

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: MKs present in the room said they felt energized by their common goal, and comfortable working together despite their differences.

MARCH 25, 2021ByGIL HOFFMAN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yair Lapid

Grapevine: Demonstrator din

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

MARCH 25, 2021ByGREER FAY CASHMAN

A SEA of protesters march through Jerusalem last Saturday night.

This week in Jerusalem: Out and about again

Coronavirus, Elections and trouble for Nesher shuttle services

MARCH 25, 2021ByPEGGY CIDOR

THE FORECAST for Nesher? Gloomy.

Israel's election problems require political surgery

Lurking beyond the past two years of political limbo in Israel are historic problems that require political surgery

MARCH 25, 2021ByAMOTZ ASA-EL

An employee wearing personal protective equipment stands behind a booth during a demonstration revealing preparations ahead of Israel’s upcoming election, at the Central Elections Committee’s logistics center in Shoham

Israelis vote again: Democracy? Or dystopia?

Elections are meant to choose a competent functioning government. In Israel, we voted four times – and got a string of dysfunctional ones.

MARCH 25, 2021BySHLOMO MAITAL

A man hangs a Likud election banner, depicting party leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top challenger, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapi

The clock is ticking and the country is sinking, new Rabin Square statue

The message of the installment to Israeli citizens is that they must go and vote before it's too late.

MARCH 25, 2021ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Hourglass with a Star of David in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square

Netanyahu short for right-wing coalition, would need Arab support

Right-wing bloc led by Likud and joined by UTJ, Shas, Religious Zionist Party and Naftali Bennett's Yamina, receives 59.

MARCH 24, 2021ByGIL HOFFMAN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrates with the Likud after Israel's elections, March 23, 2021.