Pirate Party of Israel

The party proposes a system it calls “Dynamocracy,” under which members could vote on proposals through an encrypted system, submit suggestions, or delegate their voting rights to another member.[4] Its program connects this approach to free high-speed internet, freedom of information and expression, government transparency, and reform of intellectual-property rules.[5][2] It has also advocated abolishing the electoral threshold so that small parties have a better chance of entering the Knesset.[6]

The Israeli party is part of the international Pirate political movement, whose concerns include online participation and reform of copyright and patent law.[2][7] Its approach emphasizes participation between elections: in the 2026 campaign, party representative Daniel Felber said citizens should be able to influence government decisions throughout a Knesset term rather than only on election day.[1]

The party was established in 2012 at the initiative of Ohad Shem Tov, previously chairman of Green Leaf, with participation by intellectuals and cultural figures.[5] The international Pirate movement to which it was connected had begun in Sweden in 2006.[4] During the Israeli movement’s early organizing in August 2012, web designer and developer Tal Messing and lawyer Yoav Lipschitz were identified as leading figures in a group drawn from computing, culture, writing, and law.[2] Their stated aims included freedom of expression and information.[2]

Early organizers presented the project as more than a conventional party membership organization. Messing described a digital-first political platform intended to make participants feel part of a shared political undertaking.[8] A 2012 government listing gave the party’s headquarters as 27 Hillel Street, Jerusalem, and its website as www.piratim.org.il.[[9]](https://www.gov.il/apps/elections/elections-knesset-19/heb/about/ListsHQ.html)

The party first ran for the Knesset in 2013, receiving just over 2,000 votes in what remained its strongest showing by the time of the 2026 campaign.[1] Its representatives submitted their candidate list wearing pirate hats, and the Central Elections Committee chairman asked them to remove their hats and hooks.[4] The costumes drew attention, while Shem Tov described the underlying model as democratic and based on party members directing their representatives online.[4]

In the January 2013 election, more than 268,000 votes—7% of the total—went to parties that failed to pass the then applicable 2% threshold; the Pirates were among those parties, alongside Ale Yarok, Eretz Hadasha, and Am Shalem.[10] The party continued contesting elections without crossing the threshold.[11]

In April 2019, the Pirates received 819 votes, their lowest total through 2026.[11] In September 2019, they received 1,236 votes, or 0.03%, again falling below the threshold, which by then stood at 3.25%.[3] A profile that year identified Noam Kuzar as chairman and reported his statement that the party was affiliated with the World Pirate Parties association.[7]

For the March 2020 election, Kuzar filed the party’s registration papers wearing a tricorne hat under the name “The Pirate Party: Click Here.” He described its constituency as people who felt unrepresented by the prevailing public discourse and said the party wanted citizens to vote online on legislation.[12] The election, held on March 2 after two inconclusive contests in 2019, brought the party 1,466 votes, or 0.03%, short of the 3.25% threshold and the 149,004 votes required for parliamentary representation.[13]

The party did not run in the 2021 election because its authorized officials could not complete the in-person registration process.[14] Chairman Ohad Shem-Tov was in New York and unable to travel to Israel, while the other official able to register the party could not attend in person; a request to submit the slate by videoconference was rejected.[14]

The Pirates returned to register a slate in 2022, again advocating abolition of the electoral threshold.[6] Representatives Noam Kuzar, Dan Biron, and Roy Kleitman asked the Central Elections Committee to eliminate it.[6] Biron described their objective as “legalizing public discourse” and promoted dynamic democracy in which elected representatives would need their voters’ consent.[6] A count covering approximately 87% of votes recorded 1,167 votes for the party; that figure was an interim count rather than a final result.[15]

For the October 27, 2026, election, the Pirates were one of 38 lists filed with the Central Elections Committee on September 7 and 8.[16] They submitted a 25-person slate with behavioral economist and author Dan Ariely in third place; Ariely explained his participation with the words “Politics is fun.”[1] The ballot carried the name “The Pirates – Floating for Good” (הפיראטים – צפים לטוב) and the letters צף.[17] Published final tallies differed slightly: the Central Elections Committee results page listed 1,049 valid votes, while Ynet reported 1,051; both gave the party 0.02% and no seats.[18][19]

The proposed “dynamic democracy” system would allow members to vote on proposals through an encrypted system, submit suggestions, and delegate their voting rights to another member.[4] Shem Tov said a Pirate representative in the Knesset would act according to members’ wishes.[4] In one example, a representative serving on the finance committee could draw on members with economic expertise; lobbyists seeking to influence a decision would have to persuade numerous members rather than a single legislator.[4]

Messing’s account of “liquid democracy” emphasized online tools for collective discussion and decision-making rather than a party leadership prescribing fixed answers to every policy question.[8] He argued that some questions should be examined afresh before deciding how to address them.[8]

Government transparency is another central concern.[5] During the movement’s early organizing, both rival Israeli Pirate groups sought public access to information about government budgets and corporate subsidies, together with online systems through which citizens could weigh in on decisions.[20] Both opposed a proposed biometric database and advocated technology-enabled democratic participation.[20]

The party’s intellectual-property proposals grew out of international Pirate debates over copyright, patents, and access to information.[2] In 2012, organizers argued that copyright rules could obstruct remixing and creative reuse, and called for alternative models that protected creators without unduly limiting expression or creation.[2] Ariely’s explanation of the party’s aims in 2026 similarly emphasized reconsidering intellectual property, increasing transparency, and involving citizens in democracy between elections.[17]

Its broader priorities include cultural, social, economic, and spiritual sharing, access to government, and protection of nature and water sources.[5] Free high-speed internet has been presented as a basic democratic right, alongside commitments to privacy and freedom of information and expression.[5] Abolishing the electoral threshold is intended to make parliamentary entry possible for small parties.[6]

The Pirates have maintained an electoral presence despite never winning a Knesset seat.[1] Their campaigns have sought to bring internet-based participation, transparency, and intellectual-property reform into Israeli electoral politics, while using pirate attire to attract attention.[2][4]

Party representatives have described their purpose in terms broader than securing votes. At registration for the 2022 election, Dan Biron said: “We are the party of floating voices. We came to make voices more than rake in voices.”[6] The party’s proposed relationship between members and legislators places continuing public participation, rather than election-day authorization alone, at the center of its political program.[4]

Its electoral experience also illustrates the practical importance of the threshold it seeks to abolish: the Pirates were among the parties excluded by the 2% threshold in 2013 and remained below the 3.25% threshold in later contests.[10][13] In 2026, all cited tallies placed its share at 0.02%, with no seats; the official results page listed 1,049 votes, while Ynet reported 1,051.[18][19]

In 2012, two rival organizations, called Pirate Party Israel and Israel Pirate Party, disputed which represented the Pirate movement and which was running for the Knesset.[20] Their representatives made competing allegations concerning use of the party name and a Facebook page, and disagreed over international recognition.[20]

An objection to registering a party named “The Pirates” alleged that the name could mislead the public about its relationship to the international movement and another Israeli group.[21] The objection was rejected because there was insufficient evidence of a close likelihood of public confusion.[21] The registration decision also found, on a general review, that the party’s aims appeared consistent with the “spirit” of Pirate principles, while noting that those principles differed between countries.[21]