After the Knesset election: The third Israel

It's Wednesday morning, 8 a.m., and I'm walking down Rothschild Avenue in central Tel Aviv toward Habima Square, where the Democrats and other opposition parties celebrated another victory last night. After four years of darkness, they thought it was inevitable. But now, a few hours later, everyone is staring at their cell phones with a grumpy expression on their faces. The hopeful euphoria that was previously in the air has evaporated. People are bracing themselves for deep disappointment.

In a way, the euphoria of the previous night was a form of blindness. In reality, there are two separate Jewish Israels existing in parallel. One exists in the big cities and the surrounding towns, is more secular, liberal and tolerant, believes in the rule of law and extensive democratic freedoms.

This Israel was horrified by the October 7 attack - not only by Hamas, but also by the utter indifference and cruelty of the Netanyahu government's response. This Israel believes that the country must be strong but fair, that there should be equality and universal access to justice, that it can be a modern, cosmopolitan state. This Israel was appalled by Netanyahu's corruption, cruelty, and the sadism and stupidity of his coalition partners. This Israel is Jewish, but firmly anchored in democracy.

Another Israel lives largely in communities on the periphery, in remote areas in the north, south or center, as well as in parts of Jerusalem, in Ashdod and in cities and settlements in the West Bank. It is very religious, conservative, has far more children and is completely isolated from democratic discourse. This Israel does not care about cosmopolitanism, modernity or whether the government adheres to international norms.

It doesn’t care about equality or access to justice. It places no value on education or tolerance. It blindly follows the orders of corrupt party leaders, religious leaders and others whose interest is to keep their flock as ignorant as possible, enrich themselves, claim territory and stay in power. This Israel votes for the parties of the Netanyahu coalition.

These two Israels almost never meet. But sometimes their paths cross on public transportation: When I took the train from my hometown of Lev Ha'ir in Tel Aviv to Merkaz Hacarmel in Haifa—both liberal strongholds—the trains were full of families with five or more children, religiously dressed, heading to their homes somewhere far from the cosmopolitan centers. I saw them, but didn't really notice them. As I drove from one liberal bubble to the next, it was impossible not to believe that change was just around the corner.

But the other Israel that I caught a glimpse of on the train cheerfully and dutifully went to the polls to vote for Netanyahu's coalition, and this morning we, the Jewish Liberals, woke up to a reality with almost 30 seats for a party whose leader most likely knew about the Hamas attack and did nothing; who extended the war in Gaza beyond what was militarily necessary and made it as brutal as possible; and who allied himself with sadists, racists and criminals and happily placed them in top government positions. A total of over 50 seats, almost a majority, for a government that has denigrated Israel in every possible way.

And we in the first Israel, who met in the cafes of the cities and drank beer in the squares, celebrating our inevitable triumph over the darkness, were not aware of it, we did not even notice it - until the results showed that this other Israel existed.

But then there is a third Israel. The non-Jewish, Palestinian-influenced Israel, which also lives in small towns in the north and south or in cities further away from the center. And these people actually showed up to vote this time and voted for parties like Ra’am and the United List. That encouraged us, they are our partners. The third Israel also desperately longs for an end to corruption, racism and violence. But we didn't see the second one, which was hiding in plain sight. And this very Israel - uneducated, provincial, religious, militant, willing to vote for whoever the rabbi dictates or for whoever seems more messianic - may have been vindicated despite everything.

The happy ending would be the union of the first and third Israel. The expulsion of the government that bred the second Israel and pushed it further into ignorance, fanaticism and a complete disregard for Israel's standing in the world. But this Israel will not disappear overnight. And unless a new government counters the former coalition's terrible influence, it could soon become difficult to ignore.