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Political parties are identified by one, two or three Hebrew letters, with some symbols carrying religious, historical and ideological messages.
A bus bearing a campaign poster featuring Israeli PM and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu alongside US President Donald Trump drives through Jerusalem. (AFP photo)
With less than a day to go before Israel votes in its parliamentary election, the ballot papers offer more than party names and candidates. Political parties are identified by one, two or three Hebrew letters, with some symbols carrying religious, historical and ideological messages.
The choices reflect the country’s political divisions, with parties using familiar initials, reclaiming old symbols and, in one case, facing restrictions over religious sensitivities.
A Letter That Invoked God’s Name
Of the 36 parties contesting the election, the small “Garden of Eden” party will not get its preferred combination of two Hebrew letters, “yud” and “he”. Election officials rejected the pairing on the grounds that it could offend public sentiment, as the letters together form one of the names of God, traditionally not spoken by observant Jews.
Many parties have opted for simpler choices linked to their names or leaders. Former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman’s party uses the initial of his surname, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud has retained its three-letter symbol since it first contested an election in 1973.
From ‘Truth’ To ‘Enough’
The symbols can also convey political messages. The Democrats party has retained the letters spelling emet, meaning “truth”, used by its Labour predecessors. The United Arab List, known as Raam, uses two letters that form the Hebrew word for “people”.
Meanwhile, a party campaigning to end exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews has chosen a combination meaning “enough”.
Old Symbols, New Political Battles
Parties can claim letters that are no longer in use. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right party secured the letter “bet”, previously used by the National Religious Party, a former rival in the religious-nationalist camp.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s party has adopted “tet”, once associated with the now-defunct Moledet party. The latter chose the letter because it begins the Hebrew word for “transfer”, referring to its policy advocating the removal of Palestinians.
A System With Roots In 1949
The letter system dates back to Israel’s first election in 1949, when symbols were assigned automatically. Changes to electoral rules and shifting political alliances later gave parties greater freedom to choose their own combinations.
Today, the choices range from Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party, whose letters spell “path”, to the libertarian Pirates Party, whose symbol means “float”. Even the letter zayin, which has a vulgar slang meaning in Hebrew, has been adopted by fringe parties, including the small anti-corruption party Betach.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Ask News18Political parties on Israel’s election ballots are identified by one, two or three Hebrew letters that carry religious, historical, and ideological messages, or reflect party names and leaders.
Ask News18October 27, 2026, 01:49 IST
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