Positions for the 2026 election
The Economic Party, led by Prof. Yaron Zelekha, focuses on the cost of living, competition, housing, healthcare, education, transport, and institutional and economic reforms. It presents a social-civic line with a strong emphasis on economic management, combating economic concentration, and improving public services. Its diplomatic and security policy is less detailed than that of established parties.
No clear public position by the Economic Party was found on a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7. This means no source was found; it does not mean the party is neutral.
Yaron Zelekha proposes a reciprocal override mechanism that would allow the Knesset to reenact a law that was struck down, while explicitly opposing Rothman’s plan and the reduction of judicial involvement in government actions. The position is divided between the statement’s two elements, so it is substantively neutral rather than neutral for lack of information.
No position by the party on limiting a prime minister to two consecutive terms was found in the official sources and interviews reviewed. The absence of a position is neither support nor opposition.
Yaron Zelekha called for coalition funds to be cancelled before cutting public services. This is a direct position in favour of their cancellation and of prioritising the ordinary budget, although the source does not precisely specify an equality test or how every existing agreement should be treated.
The Economic Party’s judicial-reform plan proposes making legal advisers positions of trust and reducing automatic judicial backing for their views. In that model, a legal opinion does not bind the government, although the plan is not identical to the wording of the 2026 law.
The platform lists several possible alternatives, depending on the circumstances: Arab states, an international body, or local non-Hamas rule. The regional-international framework in the statement is one option rather than a commitment.
The Economic Party platform discusses alternatives for civilian rule in Gaza, but does not say whether Israel should retain both border control and freedom of military action inside Gaza over the long term. Opposition to Hamas alone is not enough to establish a position here.
The Economic Party platform explicitly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state. It therefore also rejects a regional initiative that includes such a horizon.
The security platform opposes withdrawals and a Palestinian state and supports strengthening settlement, but does not call for applying sovereignty to all of Area C. This is a related position, not the same position.
No provision on integrating women into all combat and command roles, or on uniform professional criteria, was found in the accessible Economic Party platform.
The Economic Party’s security platform details possible governance and reconstruction arrangements in Gaza, but neither calls for renewed Israeli civilian settlement nor explicitly rejects it.
No direct source supporting or opposing a mandatory death penalty for a person convicted of murder in an act of terrorism was found in the Economic Party platform or in current statements by its leadership.
No mandatory model of military or civilian service for all population groups was found in the Economic Party platform or in a statement on its behalf.
The Economic Party’s security plan calls for individual enforcement and economic sanctions against those who fail to report for service without an exemption.
In a direct response to an election questionnaire, the Economic Party said that it opposes coercion and supports allowing every person to marry and divorce in their own way. This directly supports a civil route, but the source dates from 2021 and no parallel provision was found in the 2026 platform.
No sufficiently direct public source was found that resolves the Economic Party’s position on allowing religious courts to arbitrate civil disputes with free consent.
No position on operating public transport on Shabbat under a local framework was found in the Economic Party platform.
No provision making institutional funding conditional on meeting minimum core-curriculum requirements was found in the Economic Party’s education plan.
No provision on establishing equality and prohibiting discrimination in a Basic Law was found in the Economic Party platform.
In May 2026, the Economic Party chair clarified that the party does not boycott parties, except Arab parties. This is an explicit and current exclusion of Arab parties from possible political partnership and therefore contradicts the statement. Confidence is high because this is a direct quotation from the party chair describing his party’s line; the source is a news report rather than a platform provision.
The Economic Party platform proposes reducing income tax and VAT and lowering the tax burden, rather than funding expanded services through higher taxes on high earners.
In an official 2025 publication, the party chair proposed placing basic products, including milk, eggs, and bread, under price controls. This is practical support for expanding food-price controls. The publication does not specify what else would enter the basket or the possible harm to producers and retailers.
The Economic Party platform calls for reducing tariffs, quotas, and import barriers on food and agricultural products as part of its effort to reduce the cost of living.
The Economic Party’s education plan does not establish a two-parent criterion or a criterion based on the father’s service for daycare subsidies.
The platform supports tax reductions and imports, but no source was found that establishes a position on the specific order raising the exemption from $75 to $130.
As of 3 August 2026, no clear and current public position by the Economic Party was found on the specific mechanism in the statement. Opposition to violence or general support for enforcement is not enough to attribute a position to it.
No source resolving the question of the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law and Palestinian family reunification was found in the Economic Party platform.
No source addressing a ban on conversion therapy for minors was found in the Economic Party platform or in an official publication.
No policy framework for combating crime in Arab society, or preference between local authorities and the Shin Bet, was found in the Economic Party platform.
Zelekha described the congestion charge as a new tax imposed instead of addressing failures in the metro and light-rail systems, and explicitly criticised its imposition. Someone who opposes the charge itself also opposes it when the revenue is earmarked for public transport. The remarks were made in 2021.
Last updated: 2026-08-04