Israel's Largest Left-Wing Party "Democrats" Launches Election Campaign

The "Democrats," Israel's largest left-wing party, initiated their campaign on Monday for the legislative elections scheduled for October, following the selection of their candidate list in primary elections.

Former Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan leads the "Democrats," a party formed after the merger of the "Labor" party—historically the most prominent leftist party in Israel—and the "Meretz" party, which failed to surpass the electoral threshold to enter the Knesset in 2022.

During the campaign launch in Tel Aviv on Monday, surrounded by new candidates, Golan declared that the party's priority would be to establish a commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.

The "Democrats" are the only non-Arab party supporting the two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The party is considered the successor to the "Mapai" party founded by David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father.

According to the latest opinion polls reported by Agence France-Presse, the "Democrats" are expected to win approximately 10 seats in the upcoming Knesset elections.

The party recorded its worst performance ever in the 2022 elections, securing only four seats.

Notable figures on the party's list include lawyer Gabi Laski, the former secretary-general of the anti-settlement organization "Peace Now," and Moshe Radman, one of the leaders of the popular protest movement against the outgoing government.

Meanwhile, citing security concerns, Netanyahu has opened the door to canceling the Likud party's elections.