Change bloc
The Democrats
הדמוקרטים
Yair Golan
9–11 seats · Range across recent surveys (Kan, Channel 12, Channel 13), 2026-08-16
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Hebrew: הדמוקרטים · Merger of Labor/HaAvoda (העבודה) and Meretz (מרצ) — alliance formed July 2024, full merger ratified May 31, 2026 · Leader: Yair Golan, former IDF deputy chief of staff and ex-Meretz MK
The main institutional home of the Israeli left: social-democratic, liberal-Zionist, dovish on the Palestinian question. Golan won the Labor leadership in 2024 on a platform of unifying a fractured Israeli left. The merger agreement reserved list slots (6th, 8th, 14th) for Meretz figures. Meretz and Labor are affiliated internationally with the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance.
- Polling: roughly 9–11 seats.
- Golan has ruled out a unity government with Netanyahu.
- Framing note (contested): the party describes itself as liberal/social-democratic; at least one opinion piece (Jerusalem Post) has characterized its 2026 list as shifting “to the far Left” — flagged here as a contested characterization rather than adjudicated. See Sources & Contested Points.