In less than three weeks’ time Israelis are scheduled to vote in national elections they widely view as the most consequential of their lives. The most common term used in the country these days to describe the salience of the upcoming election is “B’hirot Goraliot”—literally, fate-defining elections. According to a September survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute, 81% of Israelis regard the October 27 election as either “the most important in the country’s history” (40%) or “especially important” (41%).

Popular awareness that the stakes are high, however, has not translated into clear political choices. On the contrary. In its fragmentation, mercuriality, conspiracism, and cast of fantastical characters, contemporary Israeli politics makes Game of Thrones look like The Golden Girls. The political waters in which Israelis are swimming—domestically, in the Palestinian arena, in the region and the wider world—are all swirling.

Read the full American Purpose article by Amichai Magen in Persuasion.