Amit Segal: Lower the Knesset Threshold

The Lie of the Blocking Percentage
By Amit Segal
Video Link
https://x.com/amit_segal/status/2053361895629803531/video/1

Grok transcript and translation.

Do you remember when your kids were little and you built towers with big =
blocks? Then as they got older, the blocks got smaller – like Lego. Now =
tell me: which tower is more stable, better looking, more precise, and =
stands taller? Exactly – the one made of many small blocks.

This is precisely what happened with the electoral threshold (the =
minimum percentage of votes needed to enter the Knesset). When the state =
was founded, the threshold was very low – less than 1%. That=E2=80=99s =
why there were many single-MK parties, like the Yemenite Party or WIZO. =
Over time, people left those parties and supported raising the =
threshold.

The argument was that small parties make Israeli politics unstable. If =
we just get rid of them, we=E2=80=99ll have more stable governments, =
fewer extremists, and fewer sectorial interests. In 2014, Lieberman and =
Lapid raised it together. Today it stands at 3.25% – about four =
mandates, or nearly 200,000 votes for the next elections.

So, has our politics become more stable? Less extreme? Do governments =
last longer? The exact opposite.

Why did we have five election cycles? Because in 2019, seven right-wing =
mandates were wasted due to the threshold – Feiglin, Bennett, and =
others. Netanyahu lost his majority, and we went back to elections. And =
I still remember the night Bennett became prime minister – people =
celebrated in Rabin Square, and someone said, =E2=80=9CI haven=E2=80=99t =
been this happy since Bennett failed to pass the threshold.=E2=80=9D

Great – so you=E2=80=99re for a high threshold? Then remember 2022: =
Meretz fell below it, and Netanyahu got a full right-wing government =
where Ben-Gvir and Goldknopf held the keys. The Arab parties united out =
of fear of not passing the threshold.

What was the result? A significant increase in extremism. When you merge =
with Balad supporters, you start justifying them, then agreeing with =
them. Did raising the threshold reduce extremism, or did it do the =
opposite?

And let=E2=80=99s not forget the technical blocs. The whole idea was to =
keep =E2=80=9Cyour side=E2=80=99s=E2=80=9D small parties out. But they =
still exist – they just merge before elections and split afterward.

The real problem in Israel isn=E2=80=99t extremism from small parties, =
but the fragility and blackmail between the big parties. Demands for six =
mandates in the security cabinet, or seven in a ministry, or full =
exemptions for all Haredim from the army.

There=E2=80=99s another problem with a high threshold: new, positive =
forces in Israeli society have no chance to break through and make a =
difference.=20

Think of the tens of thousands of working Haredim – those who support =
their families and serve in the army. Who represents them? No one. =
Secular, Arab, and even religious politicians often work against them.

Now imagine lowering the threshold. Suddenly they could have one MK, =
then two, then four. Or think of the new generation of Arabs who want =
economic progress and oppose terror. Why isn=E2=80=99t there even one =
Arab MK in the Knesset who clearly says =E2=80=9CHamas and Hezbollah are =
terrorist organizations=E2=80=9D?

Lowering the threshold won=E2=80=99t solve every problem. But the =
current system isn=E2=80=99t the solution either. It would open =
possibilities for every camp: the center-left could prove it =
doesn=E2=80=99t hate Haredim, the right could build a coalition with =
Arabs. Instead, we have a monopoly where big parties decide how much =
representation smaller groups get.

Politicians get angry when someone tries to open a closed door with a =
key. Well, it=E2=80=99s time to break that door down.

Source: https://www.imra.org.il/story.php?id=74447