The fragmentation of Israel's Knesset over 50 years, and how it benefited the nationalist right

Israel's political landscape has shifted dramatically over the past 50 years, with the Labor party and Likud's combined Knesset seats dropping from three-quarters in 1973 to less than a third in 2026. This change is attributed to various economic and social factors, alongside the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The Labor party, after a brief return to power in 1992 and initiating the Oslo Accords, faced a decline in popularity due to security concerns following Hamas attacks. The assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 and subsequent violence further strengthened the right, leading to Benjamin Netanyahu's election as Israel's first directly elected prime minister in 1996.