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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n According to the party, 97,000 of its 112,376 registered members cast ballots, marking an 86 percent turnout in what it described as the first fully online primary in Israeli politics, conducted using a secure digital voting system.<\/p>\n \t Lazimi has emerged as one of the more prominent and recognizable left-wing lawmakers in Israel and was a staple at anti-government protests for several years, including weekly rallies organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. She has also been physically roughed up<\/a> and verbally accosted<\/a> by police officers at a number of protests, and has been the subject of intense criticism, and even threats<\/a> of violence, from coalition lawmakers.<\/p>\n \u201cFull of gratitude and thrilled,\u201d Lazimi posted on social media following the results of the vote. \u201cMy eternal thanks for the trust and partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n Golan vowed that the first act of any government his party joins will be to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, followed by the repeal of \u201cevery law tied to the judicial overhaul.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is democracy at its best \u2014 alive, vibrant, and ready for battle. And the team standing behind me here tonight will be the choice on the ballot of more than a million voters,\u201d said Golan, unveiling the Knesset slate in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout strong and influential Democrats in the next government, the entire bloc for change will very quickly slide to the right,\u201d he continued, adding that \u201cthis time, we cannot give in, and we have no intention of compromising on our core principles.\u201d<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted forming a state commission of inquiry, arguing that the judges running it would be biased against him, despite most Israelis seeking such a probe. The judicial overhaul, which aims to weaken Israel\u2019s courts, has also been a priority of his government.<\/p>\n \t The Democrats are one of only a handful of Israeli parties to use primaries in selecting a Knesset slate, alongside Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich\u2019s Religious Zionism party.<\/p>\n While Likud also elects most of its candidates through a primary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will handpick eight candidates on the party\u2019s list under rules approved this week. Meanwhile, the Arab-majority Hadash party selects its candidates through a vote of party delegates rather than the full membership.<\/p>\n In most other parties, including The Democrats\u2019 allies in the Zionist anti-Netanyahu opposition bloc, the order of candidates is determined by the party leadership or other internal party institutions.<\/p>\n In its announcement, the Democrats said that the first meeting of the party\u2019s new list will be held Tuesday afternoon at Expo Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tDemocrats party chairman Yair Golan attends the Israel Hayom conference in Jerusalem, July 5, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260720AVS01-e1784530281847-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tActivists at the campaign headquarters for Yaya Fink, a candidate in the Democrats party primaries, in Tel Aviv, July 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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