Yechieli urges equal roles for new female Knesset members
The 5050 Initiative CEO wrote to party leaders and the President after 33 women won seats, but gaps remain in right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties.
By Nathaniel Hayes ·
Thirty-three women will take their seats in Israel's 26th Knesset on Tuesday, a record number for the legislative body. The 5050 Initiative confirmed the figure using data from the Choosing Wisely project. While the count represents a high point for female participation, the organization says the distribution of power among these new members remains uneven.
The initiative's CEO, Yael Yechieli, sent a letter to party leaders and President Isaac Herzog to address the next steps. She requested equal participation in meetings between party leaders and the drafting of coalition agreements. Her letter also called for a fair allocation of ministerial portfolios and areas of responsibility for the incoming female members.
This push for formal equality followed a report by KAN News. The report detailed gender disparities in parties that had previously pledged to promote equality. Those parties included Yashar, B'Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats.
The data shows a split in how parties are represented. Twenty-one of the 33 female MKs belong to parties with equal numbers of men and women. In contrast, Likud, the Joint List, Yisrael Beytenu, Otzma Yehudit, the Religious Zionist Party, and Ra'am each have fewer than five women. The ultra-Orthodox haredi parties have no women on their rosters at all.
Of the 33 women entering the Knesset, 18 are new to the institution. Thirteen are continuing their service from the previous term, and two are returning. The group includes five former ministers: Miri Regev, Gila Gamliel, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Meirav Cohen, and Orit Strock. Strock is the only female member of the 26th Knesset without an academic degree.
Yechieli stated that the record number is a milestone but not the final goal. The initiative aims for 50 percent female representation in every political party. She noted that women are gradually disappearing from the right-wing bloc. "I know that had we not been active over the past four years, we would see fewer women in this Knesset," she said.
The initiative operates under the Centers for Social Justice. Yechieli said achieving 50 percent representation will be part of the healing process for the state. She expressed happiness at having partners within the Knesset who view equality as a supreme principle.
