Politics

On the Ground in Israel, I Saw What the Future Looks Like

Israelis are waiting on the results of a historic election. But their priorities are more revealing than their votes.

A man casting a vote at a polling station in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Tuesday. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

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ISRAEL— In Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s more liberal hubs, Ben Friedhaim sits with his young daughter in HaKnesset Square as waves gently lap onto the nearby beach just days before the election. Even during Shabbat, the boardwalk here is full of families basking in the sunshine, electric scooters whizzing past, and bars blasting American hits. Ice cream melts down his daughter’s hand as he tells me about his family’s recent return to the country.…