History of The Democrats (Israel) in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 16, 2026

The Democrats (HaDemokratim) is an Israeli political party formed in 2024 through the merger of the Israeli Labor Party and the liberal Meretz party. Established by Labor leader Yair Golan, the party aims to consolidate the secular, liberal, and center-left segments of the Israeli electorate. The merger was driven by the goal of creating a unified political force to challenge the current government, advocate for democratic values, and promote a clear alternative vision regarding security and social policy following the events of October 7. The platform focuses on human rights, the protection of the judiciary, social equality, and a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By uniting two historically significant parties, The Democrats seek to revitalize the Zionist left and overcome the electoral threshold issues that previously hampered both factions. The party positions itself as the primary opposition to the right-wing coalition, emphasizing the preservation of democratic institutions within Israel.

2022: 2022 Israeli Legislative Election Results

During the 2022 Israeli legislative election, the Meretz party failed to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold with 3.16% of the vote, while the Labor Party secured four seats with 3.69% of the vote, marking its lowest popular vote performance in history. Additionally, Labor leader Merav Michaeli faced criticism for declining an electoral pact with Meretz, a move perceived as contributing to Benjamin Netanyahu's election victory.

2022: Post-Election Merger Negotiations Between Labor and Meretz

Following the 2022 election, negotiations for a potential merger or collaboration began between the Labor and Meretz parties. The delegations included Tomer Reznik and Michal Rozin for Meretz, and Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi for Labor, with Yair Golan joining the discussions at a later stage in 2022.

2023: Labor and Meretz Electoral Projections

During 2023, polling data indicated that the Israeli Labor party faced the risk of failing to meet the electoral threshold, while the Meretz party was expected to narrowly secure four seats in the Knesset.

2023: 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests

During 2023, widespread protests occurred across Israel in opposition to proposed judicial reforms, later becoming a foundational participant in the merger of The Democrats.

2023: Opposition to Israeli Judicial Reform

In 2023, The Democrats (Israel) formally took a stance against the proposed Israeli judicial reform, pledging in their merger agreement to advocate for full democracy, the protection of individual and minority rights, the separation of powers, and the maintenance of judicial independence.

March 2024: Launch of Leadership Campaign and The Democrats

In early March 2024, Yair Golan launched his leadership campaign for the Labor party with the goal of unifying various organizations. Subsequently, on 18 March 2024, he announced the formation of "The Democrats," a new political party intended to serve as a broad-based, democratic, and Zionist alternative to the Netanyahu government, while also advocating for early Knesset elections.

May 2024: Election as Labor Leader

On 28 May 2024, Yair Golan secured his position as the leader of the Labor party, achieving what was described as a landslide victory in the internal election.

July 2024: Formation of The Democrats

In July 2024, the Israeli Labor Party and the Meretz party merged to form a new social democratic and Zionist political party in Israel known as The Democrats.

July 2024: Approval of the Merger

On 12 July 2024, a convention held in Tel Aviv involving delegates from Labor, Meretz, and the judicial reform protest movement officially approved the formation of The Democrats.

2024: Pre-Merger Polling Trends

In 2024, leading up to the leadership election and merger agreement, polls indicated that a unified ticket between Labor and Meretz could potentially achieve more than ten seats in the legislature.

February 2025: Denial of Knesset Faction Renaming

In February 2025, Ofir Katz and the government coalition committee members blocked the formal renaming of the parliamentary faction, forcing members of The Democrats to remain identified as members of the Israeli Labor Party in the 25th Knesset.

January 2026: Expansion of The Democrats' Leadership

In January 2026, Yair Golan announced the expansion of The Democrats party by welcoming several high-profile protest leaders into its ranks, specifically Ami Dror, Moshe Radman, and Gaby Lasky.

May 2026: Moran Zer Katzenstein Joins Party

During May 2026, Yair Golan officially announced that Moran Zer Katzenstein, the founder of the organization Women Building an Alternative (Bonot Alternativa), had decided to join The Democrats.

May 2026: Ratification of Agreement with Meretz

In May 2026, The Democrats announced that party members voted to ratify an agreement to include Meretz members on their 2026 electoral list, specifically reserving the sixth, eighth, and fourteenth positions for them.

June 2026: Nava Rozolyo Joins The Democrats

In June 2026, it was publicly announced that the prominent protest leader Nava Rozolyo had officially joined The Democrats party as part of its ongoing expansion.

2026: Projected Israeli Legislative Election

Projections for the 2026 Israeli legislative election suggested that Labor might be excluded from the Knesset if running independently, prompting discussions regarding a merger to ensure electoral viability.