First Quarter of 2026: Update
1. Launching a petition demanding gender parity 5050 alternating (zipper) list candidacy in all parties
The State of Israel is heading toward elections that are critical to our future. We are demanding from party leaders, across all parties: Commit to an equal zipper (alternating) list candidacy that guarantees real and not symbolic equality.
Public pressure works. Join us and sign.
2. We've launched a new website
After 3 years on a basic site, we have just moved to an updated platform that puts our vision and work front and center.
This is not just a new design, it is a tool for shifting consciousness, packed with our data and testimonials demonstrating the extensive activity of the 5050 initiative. In the coming year, our goal is to translate the site into Arabic and English.
The new site is still in its launch phase and we'd love your feedback: https://www.5050il.co.il/
3. 5050 in Prime Time
The broadcast of Actor and Comedian "Adi Ashkenazi Enters the Knesset" and the launch of the petition.
After intensive work behind the scenes, Adi Ashkenazi's Television Special on Keshet 12 reached 300,000 viewers who were exposed to our message and demands of 5050! We really hope you saw it (here is the link). A truly remarkable program!
The broadcast sparked an enormous public conversation on the issue, and in its wake we launched the petition demanding 5050 zipper (alternating) list candidacy in every party. Thousands have already signed, and we will not take this demand off the agenda until it becomes the new standard.
Haven't signed yet? Please sign and pass it on.
4. Expanding our team
Our organizational structure is expanding — Lola Rokni and Hanan Al-Sa'neh are joining the leadership of the 5050 initiative. We are now able to hire permanent staff, moving beyond freelance and partial positions. We are a highly professional team now.
Lola Rokni - After a year of intensive volunteering, Lola joined in January as Projects and Volunteering Manager. Lola is an organizational consultant and executive coach by profession.
Adv. Hanan Al-Sa'ne - Hanan is the co-CEO of the Itach-Ma'aki organization and joined in February to lead 5050 within Arab society. The first phase of 5050 operated within the Centers for Social Justice, a force-multiplying partnership. Hanan believes that in establishing a partnership with an independent nonprofit; it is a complete win-win.
5. Launching 5050 in Arab society
With Hanan Al-Sa'ne's joining, there has been an enormous leap in the initiative's activity within Arab society. In just a few months, we have already managed to lead meaningful processes in Arab society demanding 5050. Together with Rasha Ismail, who leads 5050 on behalf of the Centers for Social Justice, three WhatsApp groups in Arabic were established. We wrote a letter signed by 50 activists demanding equal representation in the unified Arab political list following the announcement of its formation. We applied public pressure that led to women's presence on the stages of the struggle against violence. Dozens of items in the Arab media. Advancing 5050 activity in Arab society is one of the central goals for the coming year within the framework of the 5050 Elections Headquarters.
6. 5050 in the media
This year we launched the 5050 News Dashboard. A dedicated group of committed activists checks every week how equal the 8 PM evening news broadcast panels were across the various channels.
The average of women appearing on the 8 PM evening news broadcast panels is only 29%!
We saw improvement following public pressure, and then when the war began, there was a drastic decline.
We will continue to demand 50% women in every news broadcast.
The good news - every week there are several media mentions referencing the demand for 50% women on panels. This represents a great deal of behind-the-scenes work on our part.
Thanks to a designated donation, we have begun working with a professional PR firm, and in the coming months we will act to place the demand for 5050 on the media agenda, especially ahead of the upcoming elections.
7. March 8, International Women’s Day 2026
We did not give up on International Women's Day, even in the shadow of the war. Although 18 lectures planned for Women's Day were cancelled due to the situation, we did not give up. With the help of two remarkable activists, Hadar Halperin Shoshani and Martha Stankevich, we developed the Equality Day Kit, featuring games and posts (press here for the kit) that allow every family to bring 5050 values into their home (and into the shelter too 🙂). This kit will serve us in the years to come.
8. Municipal work
