Israelis head to the polls today, capping an election season where women candidates have played a crucial role. They form a substantial chunk of most of the party lists, and for the Zionist Union—an alliance between the Labor and Hatnua parties that is narrowly leading in the polls—women occupy four out of ten of the top spots. It’s a sign of a changing political scene.
Overall, about one in four of the candidates is a woman, according to party lists compiled by Haaretz. The average is brought down by the three small far-right parties that have no female candidates.
“This time, we have very prominent female members of Knesset out front on the left and right. There’s a greater presence of women in politics,” said Marev Michaeli, one of the Zionist Union candidates, in an interview with Slate. Young women such as another Zionist Union candidate Stav Shaffir have also emerged as important players.