Israeli politicians are famous for shouting over each other on television panels. On Sunday night in Jerusalem, representatives of ten parties spanning the political map shared a single stage for two hours, answered the toughest question their opponents could throw at them, and ended the evening standing together singing Hatikvah (The Hope), Israel’s national anthem.
The Israel365 News Knesset Elections Town Hall, held at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, drew a sold-out crowd of 300 and was conducted entirely in English, giving the country’s Anglo community a rare chance to hear directly from the candidates competing for its votes.
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, Editorial Director and Senior Analyst at Israel365 News, hosted and moderated the event.
“We at Israel365 News decided to do this event, inviting representatives on the Knesset lists of ten parties to share with the English-speaking community in Israel, in English,” Wolicki said. “The English-speaking community is often ignored in election campaigns. I felt that it was important to bring the candidates together to the English-speaking community.”
“In Israel, there aren’t really public debates during election season,” he said. “Every party and the candidates do their own campaigning. Whenever there’s an environment where someone from more than one party is together, generally they just end up yelling at each other. We felt that it was important to have them all there on the same stage.”
The first panel featured Mati Gill of Beyachad, Moran Zer Katzenstein of the Democrats, Yishai Fleisher of Otzma Yehudit, MK Dan Illouz of Yisrael Beiteinu, and Moshe Feiglin of Zehut. The second brought together Fleur Hassan-Nahoum of Amcha Yisrael, MK Amichai Chikli of Likud, MK Ohad Tal of Religious Zionism, Einat Wilf of the Reservists–Economic Party, and Lianne Pollak-David of Yashar! with Eisenkot.
The Hardest Question
Wolicki skipped the standard practice of putting the same questions to every candidate.
“Besides having each candidate speak and lay out their platform, a specific question was prepared for each one of them, challenging that party’s greatest weakness or the most standard criticism of that party,” he said. “Really a pointed question, forcing each one of them to answer for what those who are skeptical of their party would say about them.”
“It forced these candidates to confront the key issues that people would criticize their parties for,” Wolicki said. “I think in fact it did them a favor, because it allowed them to clear the air on the issues that are most difficult for them to deal with.”
The audience leaned heavily to the right, and it showed. The Jewish Edition reported that when Zer Katzenstein of the Democrats criticized positions held by Feiglin and Fleisher, much of the room responded by applauding the two men she was attacking. The outlet also reported that Chikli went on offense against Yashar! with Eisenkot, and that Pollak-David answered largely by pointing to the personal standing of party leader Gadi Eisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff.
‘A Real Change Is What This Government Has Done’
Chikli, Fleisher, and Tal campaigned on the outgoing government’s record. Tal turned the opposition’s call for change back on itself.
“Everybody wants change all the time, but these parties actually offer change,” Tal said. “You know that now we are getting change. When we are holding 60% of Gaza, that’s a change. When we are holding 600 square kilometers in Lebanon, that’s a change. When we are holding 400 square kilometers in Syria, that’s a change.”
Tal then took aim at Eisenkot, charging that the Yashar! leader proposed only last July to withdraw from all of those areas, and that five days before Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024, Eisenkot argued against war with Lebanon in favor of an arrangement.
“So a real change is what this government has done,” Tal said. “We made mistakes. Israel made mistakes, fooling itself that we could find peace and quiet and pay off our enemies. If you want change, this government is actually providing change. This whole revolution is changing the Middle East.”
Tal closed his remarks with a direct appeal to the audience: “So, you want change? Some talk about change, yet there are those who are actually making tremendous change for the State of Israel. Give us the strength to continue these incredible achievements!”
Israel365 News was the sole organizer of the event, which was supported by sponsors. It was not broadcast live, and a full recording is being released to the public.
Arguing for the Sake of Heaven
The evening came days before the third anniversary of October 7 and weeks before an election that will shape how Israel finishes the war. Wolicki said that motive was on full display at the end of the night.
“It was very civil, and I got emotional at the end,” he said. “All the panelists were standing on stage, and we played Hatikvah, and the entire room sang Hatikvah together. After an evening with much disagreement, and people in the crowd applauding for different candidates, the singing of Hatikvah at the end reminded everyone that we’re all in this together, that we’re all people who care about the nation of Israel and the future of the State of Israel.”
“Even when we disagree on how to get Israel to a better place, we’re all coming from the same motive, which is the benefit of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel,” Wolicki said.
Ten candidates who will spend the coming weeks fighting for every seat in the Knesset stood shoulder to shoulder on Sunday night and sang about the hope of 2,000 years. The campaign will be loud. That moment set the standard for what the argument is supposed to be about.
