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Politica – Israeli Politics Explained

As Israeli heads into an election, Sharon Offenberger and Yuval Regev breaks down Israeli politics for a Diaspora audience,.
The Jewish Independent
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Published: 12 March 2026

Last updated: 7 October 2026

A new TJI podcast breaks down Israeli politics for a Jewish Diaspora audience, ahead of the next Israeli election. Each episode will provides clear explanations, political context and informed discussion to help listeners understand one of the world’s loudest political systems.

Episode 13: To Bibi or not to Bibi ... that is the election

For more than three decades, Benjamin Netanyahu has been the face of Israel to Jews and governments around the world. Sharon and Yuval look at how he built and kept power: his corruption trial, the political culture known as "Bibism," his record after 7 October, and his strained relationship with the diaspora. Will Israel crown him King Bibi?

Episode 12: Will the Arabs save the Jews? Israel's election sheikhmaker

Ahead of Israel's election, neither of Israel's political blocs can reach a majority without the Arab vote.

Sharon and Yuval discuss how Mansour Abbas, Ra'am, and the coalition math is shaping Israel's election, from the October 7th story of Osama Abu Asha to the organised crime crisis driving Arab voters' priorities.

Episode 11: Who are Jew voting for? The political tribes of Israel

Forget left vs right. Israel votes in tribes and it keeps producing more political parties than anyone can keep track of. Are stalwart Likud voters moving away and if so, who will they replace King Bibi with?

Sharon and Yuval break down the identities really deciding this election and look at Jewish history as a reminder of what happens when the people are divided.

Episode 10: Can the army exemption cost Israels election?

Sharon and Yuval unpack the Haredi draft exemption crisis dividing Israel ahead of its 2026 election - an equality issue as much as a legal one, with some Israelis serving months in reserve duty (miluim) and paying the price of war while others are excused entirely. 

Why does the High Court keeps striking the exemption down, why is it splitting Likud party and Religious Zionist Party voters, and what it means for the next Israel's next prime minister, whoever that is. 

Episode 9: Israel Election 2026 - What could possibly go wrong?

Israel's election has been called for 27 October 2026 as the Israel's government completes its 4-year term.  

What could actually derail it? Sharon and Yuval score the real risks: war with Iran, West Bank violence, internal division, attacks on the judiciary, or an outcome that takes Israel back in time. A look at what's actually at stake for Israeli democracy, and why the diaspora needs to pay attention.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/3yx4wjDesx0

Episode 8: A Court without a democracy, for a democracy without a Court: Explaining Israel’s constitutional crisis

Israel is officially going to elections on 27 October 2026, and just before moving to a caretaker government, a new assault on democratic institutions is taking place. For the first time in Israel's history, the government has declared in a statement that it will not respect a Supreme Court ruling.

Sharon and Yuval discuss the fight for three democratic institutions: the judiciary, the media, and the Attorney General.  Without a formal constitution, the stakes of this election are clear.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/xYu445AgWiI

Episode 7: Not Zionist: Who are a third of Israel's voters?

Two communities make up a third of Israel’s population, don’t serve in the military, and increasingly decide who governs. Sharon and Yuval examine Israel’s Haredi and Arab populations — two groups that sit outside the Zionist mainstream for very different reasons. One is growing fast and the other has been largely excluded from government. This episode covers demographics, political leverage on the Knesset in Israel, and the coalition trade-offs shaping the next election.

Watch the award-winning TJI documentary Palestinian Citizens of Israel: From their Perspective, for even more insights here: https://youtu.be/l15_Qg0H6kU

Episode 6: What's Left of the Left and Who's Right About the Right

In this episode, Sharon and Yuval ask whether the traditional language of left and right still means anything in Israeli politics, tracing how the fault lines that once defined the electorate - socialism, religious identity, and above all the peace process - have either collapsed or been overtaken by new ones. 

Set against this is a generation of first-time voters, the largest new-voter cohort in Israeli history, who have grown up under the shadow of persistent conflict and identify as right-wing at rates that would be unrecognisable to their parents. With nearly a quarter of the voter population aged under 29, this is a generation to watch. 

Episode 5: The Coalition Games, Election Fever and the Battle for the Knesset

Israel appears to be heading toward an election in the coming months and election fever is already in the air. Sharon and Yuval unpack why this election is so consequential, from judicial reform and Netanyahu’s trial to the growing debate over the future of Israeli democracy. 

This episode goes beyond the headlines to explain how the Knesset, coalition politics and how Israel’s voting system work. 

Episode 4:  Bondi vs. October 7: The Politics of Accountability

While Australia is already undertaking a Royal Commission into the Bondi attack, Israel still has no independent inquiry into October 7 attack, more than two years later.

In this episode, Sharon and Yuval unpack the political, legal and societal reasons behind that delay, including why Israel's  High Court and competing narratives have turned tragedy into politics. The conversation explores why accountability matters—not just for Israel, but for Jewish communities worldwide—and what’s at stake if those questions remain unanswered.

Episode 3: If everyone won the war, who lost? Israel, Iran and the battle for a victory

In this episode of Politica, Sharon Offenberger and Yuval Regev unpack how the US, Israel and Iran each frame the outcome in their favour. 

As public opinion, political affiliation and media ecosystems shape entirely different understandings of the same war, this episode asks simple but uncomfortable questions about how Israeli and global narratives will affect Israel's future, especially if they do not align. 

Episode 2: Whose Side Are You On? Qatargate, Israel and the Politics of Influence

As Israel navigates war with Iran and a shifting regional order, Qatar sits at the centre of a strategic paradox: a country that can be both indispensable and deeply problematic to Israel.

In this episode of Politica, Sharon Offenberger (Australia) and Yuval Regev (Israel) unpack one of the most complex regional actors and explore Qatargate — the unfolding scandal involving Netanyahu’s inner circle.

Episode 1: War what is it good for? Israel, Iran and the Politics of Victory

Just nine months after the previous conflict that many believed had reshaped the strategic balance in the Middle East, Israel and the US launched another war with Iran. Despite political divisions inside Israel, the war has created a rare moment of consensus. At least momentarily.

In a special episode of Politica: Israeli Politics Explained, Sharon Offenberger and Yuval Regev unpack support for the Iran War and what it could mean for Israel’s politics, elections and long-term strategy.

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