Election Overdose Podcast

Have Israel's election results got you down? No one parses the voters' choice like Election Overdose hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin. In the special one-hour season finale, they walk through all the nerdy data and critical commentary to make sense of what just happened. Learn why Netanyahu won big, but Likud fared poorly; where we think Naftali Bennett's voters went, and who really should be blamed for Meretz failing to enter the Knesset. Find out about turnout in Likud strongholds, voter breakdown in a small kibbutz in the Negev, and which Overdose host was once an outstanding dairy farmer. Bring a glass of whiskey, take two aspirin before bed, and see you for the next election. Overdose is over, but don't stop following Dahlia (@dahliasc) and Anshel (@AnshelPfeffer) on twitter and keep read their articles and columns on Haaretz.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, the campaign has moved to high-tempo. Or has it? This week’s Election Overdose episode tries to work out why no issues have caught the public’s attention so far in the long campaign and asks whether the controversial judicial reform proposals of the far-right Religious Zionism party will gain traction. Also: Will the public opinion polls ever move before November 1? Subscribe to Election Overdose for the right dose of parties, people, politicians and polls in Israel's fifth in the never-ending election cycle. Follow Dahlia (@dahliasc) and Anshel (@AnshelPfeffer) on twitter and read more of their articles and columns on Haaretz.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will religious Jewish determine the results in Israel's election? With just 25 days to go and each electoral bloc desperate for the final push to reach a 61-seat majority, Israel's national religious community faces surprisingly tough choices. Which parties could be attractive to moderate religious right-wing voters in Israel? Why did the ultra-nationalist Jewish supremacist party call itself Religious Zionism, and why is it doing so well in all electoral surveys? To answer these questions, Overdose hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin talk with Yair Ettinger, religious affairs commentator for Israel's Kan news, and author of The Great Split, a new book about the dilemmas defining and dividing the national religious community in Israel today. Subscribe to Election Overdose for the right dose of parties, people, politicians and polls in Israel's fifth in the never-ending election cycle. Follow Dahlia (@dahliasc) and Anshel (@AnshelPfeffer) on twitter and read more of their articles and columns on…

All eyes are on Arab voters, as the Israeli election campaign begins in earnest. In the final hours before last week's deadline for finalizing party slates, the Joint List disintegrated, leaving three different parties to compete for the votes of Palestinian citizens of Israel. But the Joint List breakdown could also demoralize those voters so badly that their already-tepid participation rate falls even lower. Professor Amal Jamal of Tel Aviv University joins Election Overdose to discuss what Arab voters want and what their parties are offering, from ideology to political integration to immediate social interests. This week we also track Prime Minister Lapid's United Nations speech, and why efforts to disqualify parties from running mostly fail (but not always). And what do the new polls tell us? Subscribe to Election Overdose for the right dose of parties, people, politicians and polls in Israel's fifth and best election campaign yet. Follow Dahlia (@dahliasc) and Anshel (@AnshelPfeffer) on twitter and read…

On September 15th, Israeli parties must submit their final lists of candidates and be inscribed in the book of parties for the upcoming election. One week from now, parties of the left and right that have been flirting with merging or splitting must make a final decision. Will the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism split into two factions and what would that mean for Benjamin Netanyahu's chances to return to the prime minister's office? Why do Arab voters want the three parties of the Joint List to remain glued together, and can Israel's left-wing parties Labor and Meretz work it out this time? This week's Election Overdose breaks down the final party dilemmas and the consequences of each scenario. We also survey the dazzling new posters of Benny Gantz around town and ask what exactly was Netanyahu doing in a 700,000-shekel bulletproof glass, air-conditioned Bibi-mobile this week on a tour named "Bibiba"? Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin discuss all the news, polls, history and party…

Our guest this week is Member of Knesset Yossi Shain, who joins the podcast to discuss how Yisrael Beitenu, his party, is preparing for the November 1 election. Shain argues that the secular right-wing party led by Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman represents 'the true right-wing' in Israel, unlike the religious and far-right alliance of parties that was merged last week under pressure from opposition leader Netanyahu. Shain also explains how Lieberman, who has a long history of harsh statements against Israel's Arab politicians, found himself in a coalition together with Mansour Abbas of the United Arab List. In his view, Lieberman hasn’t changed; but Mansour Abbas recognized Israel as a Jewish state, which made it possible for Yisrael Beitenu to cooperate with him. In other news, Meretz elected Zehava Galon as its old-new leader; Prime Minister Yair Lapid had a heart-to-heart with President Biden about Iran, and Israel narrowly averted a teacher's strike ahead of the new school year. But will any of it…

On this episode of Election Overdose, we ask if the famous rule of American elections, is finally making its way to Israel as well. Our guest Karnit Flug, former governor of the Bank of Israel, now at the Israel Democracy Institute and a professor at Hebrew University, breaks down myth and reality about the non-political economics of Israel. Why do Israelis constantly complain of economic woes, but hardly ever vote based on economic platforms? Earlier on the show, we discuss the latest senior general to enter politics, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Do the political achievements of Israel's generals justify the hype? And why did Eisenkot flirt with Prime Minister Yair Lapid for months before joining the new National Unity party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz? Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin discuss all the news, polls, history and party trivia you need to know for Israel's upcoming election. Subscribe to the show on your podcast app, follow Dahlia (@dahliasc) and Anshel…

The week began with a ceasefire ending the three-day violent escalation between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Now, with the border quiet again, we ask if Israelis have already forgotten the rockets fired at them and the perceived skillful handling of this crisis by prime minister Yair Lapid, and more importantly, will they remember Gaza at all on Election Day? Also this week, Labor party members voted to select their list of candidates for the next Knesset, and on Wednesday, Likud members did the same. Both parties saw surprises and a changing of the guard. In Likud, loyalists supporting Benjamin Netanyahu were rewarded. But what do the lists of candidates mean to the voters - will anyone support or abandon a party because of these names? And which party in Israeli history was the first to hold primaries anyway? Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin discuss all the news, polls, history and party trivia you need to know for Israel's upcoming election. Subscribe to the show on your podcast…

With just under three months to go before the election, Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast asks the million dollar question: can we, and should we, trust the polls? What are they worth at this point in time, and do they really serve the public, or are they misleading voters in the service of murky political interests? Also on this episode, we ask whether Likud’s old-new economic plan has a point, will the far-right Religious Zionism party get its act together, do either of the candidates for Meretz’s leadership have an idea of what the party stands for and do the members of Yesh Atid really think Yair Lapid is second only to God? Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin will bring all the news and analysis an Israel-election junkie needs, including polls, guests and trivia tidbits about the strangest parties in Israeli history. Subscribe to the show on your podcast app, follow Dahlia (@dahliasc) and Anshel (@AnshelPfeffer) on twitter and read more of their articles and columns on Haaretz.com.…

Israeli politicians are making up for a slow summer news cycle by issuing promises almost daily about which parties they will or will not accept as future coalition partners. With several parties each rejecting several others, can Israel ever form a government? Or does the long list of coalition-building pledges simply reveal how many of these vows will be broken in the future? The politics of coalition-building seem to have usurped issues and ideology, and they may just be a proxy for the underlying question of "yes" or "no" to Benjamin Netanyahu. Special guest and Haaretz political columnist Ravit Hecht joins the podcast to analyze the situation. Meanwhile, Ayelet Shaked of Yamina joins with the small Derekh Eretz faction, which could either be a game-changer or not matter at all. Netanyahu and Lapid compete for foreign policy cachet, polls are stuck and party time this week goes back to 1949. Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin will bring all the news and analysis an Israel-election…

This week on Election Overdose, Haaretz's political podcast covering everything you need to know about the upcoming Israeli election: Merav Michaeli is re-elected Labor leader and Zehava Galon is back to rescue Meretz. But do the once-grand old parties of the Israeli left still have a role to play when they’re both shells of their former self and Yair Lapid has occupied the center-ground? Speaking of Lapid, the prime minister this week launched his own campaign promising an end to personality-driven politics. Should we believe him? Meanwhile in Likud, Netanyahu is losing control over his own image and the party's far-right allies have a lot to ponder over in the polls. Also, which long-forgotten party will feature in this week’s Party Animals corner? Listen to it all on our latest episode. Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin will bring all the news and analysis an Israel-election junkie needs, including polls, guests and trivia tidbits about the strangest parties in Israeli history.…

This week on Election Overdose, Haaretz's political podcast covering everything you need to know about the upcoming Israeli election: Israel catches America fever as Joe Biden touches down for a presidential visit. Prime Minister Yair Lapid hopes to reap the electoral benefits and polls show he might already be gaining ground. Meanwhile, the Israeli party shuffle is underway as Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa'ar merge parties, hoping to do better together than apart. Will it work? MK Alon Tal of Kahol Lavan joins the pod to explain what the merger means, the passion of centrist politics in Israel, and which parties the new formation will reject as future coalition partners. A veteran environmental activist in Israel, MK Tal explains why the climate crisis is not more prominent on the Israeli political agenda. We also consider the curious case of the party that won more votes than it could handle. Each week, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin will bring all the news and analysis an Israel-election junkie…

It's election time in Israel again, and Haaretz's Election Overdose podcast is back for a second season! The Knesset has dissolved, the dates are set, a fifth Israeli election in three and a half years is getting Started. The parties will be rearranging themselves up to the moment they must declare their lists to the Central Election Committee. In the first formal week of the campaign, newly-anointed Prime Minister Yair Lapid burnishes his foreign policy credentials, and Benjamin Netanyahu faces damaging testimony in his ongoing corruption cases. Hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin walk through the major events of the week and analyze what's coming next. For the first episode, Tal Silberstein, master of campaigns and political strategy, joins them to discuss the political landscape. Tal explains what he sees as the real question of this election. Hint: It's not all about Benjamin Netanyahu. Each week, Anshel and Dahlia will bring all the news and analysis an Israel-election junkie needs, including…

As the dust of Israel's 2021 election - at least the first one - settles, there are winners and losers, with results ranging from Shakespearean tragedy to miraculous political resurrection. But the one thing Israel doesn't yet have is a new government. With many kingmakers but still no king, Israel is now counting every last vote to find out what happens next. In the final episode of Election Overdose, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin end where they began, by asking "what just happened?" And answering. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a special extra episode of Haaretz's Election Overdose podcast, with just one day left to Election Day, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin, together with special guest, public opinion expert Tamar Hermann, try and work out what the latest polls are telling us and why they may be wrong. Also, what was Benjamin Netanyahu hoping to achieve by stalking Naftali Bennett, why have there been no election debates for twenty years and has Yair Lapid launched his anti-Kahanist, anti-Haredi campaign too late? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 12 of Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast, with just five days to go before the big day, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin are joined by journalist and author Nadav Eyal to discuss whether Netanyahu’s handling of the covid-19 pandemic over the past year has helped or harmed his electoral prospects and why the center-left opposition failed so miserably in presenting any alternative Coronavirus policies? And of course polls galore, last-minute election day surprises and the intriguing new version of Likud’s anthem. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem concerned about Israel's March elections, and do they see any difference between the Israeli political parties in ways that will affect their lives? In Election Overdose Episode 11, co-hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin speak to special guest Dr. Khalil Shikaki, the leading Palestinian public opinion researcher, who explains why the Palestinian political elite differ from the public on whether Israel's election results matter for them, and how. And as the two-state solution recedes, would Palestinians consider voting in Israeli elections? In other news, the Israeli campaign enters its final stretch: television advertising has begun, the polls are stuck, and Yair Lapid offers Israelis a government of "sanity," while Naftali Bennett's Yamina threatens to overtake Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope party. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 10 of our Election Overdose podcast, with two and a half weeks left, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin ask these key questions: What can still change in the polling trends, will the High Court ruling on conversion have an effect on voting and why is no-one talking about the parties’ economic plans? With special guest Rachel Azaria we tackle one of the biggest historic rifts in Israeli life, the Ashkenazi-Mizrahi divide. We ask whether Mizrahi voters choose based on identity, issues, values or legacy, and why they barely vote for the left. And there’s a classic election jingle as well. As Israel embarks on its fourth election in two years, Anshel and Dahlia, along with guests, will guide you every week through Israel’s electoral thickets, the issues, the personalities, the polls and a history of elections in campaign jingles. Have questions for Anshel and Dahlia? Follow them on twitter and leave your comments there @AnshelPfeffer @dahliasc. Read more from Anshel and Dahlia on Haaretz.com.…

In Episode 9 of Election Overdose podcast, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin try to make sense of the new Israeli right-wing, with the help of 'New Hope' candidate Dani Dayan, former Israeli consul to New York and ex-Yesha Council head. Is it all about replacing Benjamin Netanyahu or is there some ideology there as well? We’ll also ask whether the 130 generals calling upon Benny Gantz to drop out of the race may have actually increased Gantz’s chances to stay until the end? What was Netanyahu hoping to achieve by demanding his allies sign a pledge of allegiance to him? And who is preparing a voting fraud conspiracy theory for the day after? Oh, and what did Producer Jonathan dress up as for Purim? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 8 of our Election Overdose podcast Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin together with this week’s guest Ksenia Svetlova ask who are the 'Russian' voters? Why do they vote mainly for the right-wing? Why are some of their representatives in the Knesset vaccination-skeptics and does that attract voters? Also, what was Benjamin Netanyahu trying to achieve in his rare prime-time TV interview this week? Why is everyone ganging up on Labor’s Arab-Israeli candidate? And will the battle between Naftali Bennett and Gideon Sa’ar decide the outcome of the election? Related reading: >> The eight issues that will decide the outcome of the Israeli election >> Elections committee disqualifies Israeli Arab Labor candidate >> FACT CHECK: Netanyahu gave a rare interview. Here are eight lies he told >> The idiot’s guide to Israel’s idiotic election, Part II: The Seinfeld factor See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labor was on the brink of extinction only a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s Meretz’s turn to signal polling distress. Why are Israel’s old parties of the left, once in power, now on life-support? In episode 7 of Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast, co-hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin, along with this week’s guest, recovering lefty Ben-Dror Yemini, diagnose the Israeli left’s chronic decline. Also, how deep is Netanyahu in league with the far-right and will his trial or Joe Biden’s ghosting of him damage him at the polls? Further reading: Israel Voice Index Survey, February 7, 2021 - https://en.idi.org.il/articles/33594 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The deadline for filing candidates lists for Israel's March 23rd election has finally passed and Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast is here to go through all the last-minute details. Co-hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin together with this week’s guest Amir Tibon chart this week’s developments: What’s the life span of a new center-left party in Israel? Why has Netanyahu embraced the Jewish supremacists? Which of the parties still in the running are in danger of extinction and which lawmaker will we most miss in the new Knesset? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode 5 of Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin, together with this week’s guest Pnina Pfeuffer, discuss the Haredi vote and whether the Coronavirus clashes have a wider effect on this election. Also, can newly elected Labor leader Merav Michaeli make something better out of the worst job in Israeli politics? How badly disjointed is the Joint List? We also indulge in some last-minute predictions on splits and mergers before the candidates in the election submit their final slate - with the deadline coming up next week. As Israel embarks on its fourth election in two years, Anshel and Dahlia, along with guests, will guide you every week through Israel’s electoral thickets, the issues, the personalities, the polls and a history of elections in campaign jingles. Have questions for Anshel and Dahlia? Follow them on twitter and leave your comments there @AnshelPfeffer @dahliasc. Read more from Anshel and Dahlia on Haaretz.com. Related reading: The ultra-Orthodox street…

In the fourth episode of Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin try to work out what’s happening in the Arab-Israeli constituency, together with this week’s guest, Mohammed Darawshe, leader of the new Ma’an Party.

New hopeless parties are appearing like mushrooms, old centrist parties are collapsing, and the chances are that the fourth election in a row won’t solve anything. On the third episode of Haaretz’s Election Overdose podcast, Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin ask whether the system is broken or will everything go back to normal once Netanyahu is gone. Special guest Tzipi Livni thinks the problem is that Israeli politicians are simply too afraid to talk about matters of substance anymore.

On this week’s episode of Haaretz’s Election Overdose Podcast, hosts Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin discuss with Dr Gayil Talshir of the Hebrew University the changing ideological currents in Israeli politics and whether being anti-Netanyahu is a strategy or a vision.

It turns out you can never have too much of a good thing as Israel embarks on its fourth election in two years. This time you won’t have to face it alone, as Anshel Pfeffer and Dahlia Scheindlin, along with guests, guide you through Israel’s electoral thickets, the issues, the personalities, the polls and a history of elections in campaign jingles. This week, along with The New York Times’ David Halbfinger, they try to work out how Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz were dragged in to an early election neither of them wanted, what were the true aspirations of the weed legalization party, and what if anything will be different this time