In September 1969, during a meeting between then Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir and U.S. President Richard Nixon, in which she was seeking U.S. military aid for her country, Meir is widely credited with the famous retort: “I am the Prime Minister of three million prime ministers.”
That was a well‑known lighthearted diplomatic quip that reflected Meir’s sharp wit and confidence in her leadership. An exchange to highlight the scale and complexity of Israel’s political system compared to the U.S. presidential political system.
This line is part of a set of political jokes that compare the difficulty of governing in different countries. In Golda’s case, it followed a remark by U.S. President Nixon during her first state visit to Washington D.C. in September 1969. Nixon said he found it difficult to govern a country of 150 million American people. Meir responded with her own punchline, using the figure “three million” to emphasize the complexity of leading Israel’s government and the people it represents.
Jewish Nation’s Joke Adaptation
This thoughtful joke has been retold and adapted by other Israeli leaders: Shimon Peres updated it to “seven million prime ministers” to reflect Israel’s later population growth. Other Israelis in various leadership roles have modified it to fit their own roles, such as joking about being the “Defense Minister of nine million Defense Ministers.”
At the time Meir phrased it, Israel’s Jewish population stood at three million. In 2026 Israel’s Jewish population is close to the eight million mark, with a total population over ten million.
If Netanyahu were to update Meir’s quip for today’s population, he might say: “I am the Prime Minister of ten million prime ministers.”
Israel’s Upcoming Elections
Israel’s next general election will be held on October 27, 2026, when the people will elect all 120 members of the 26th Knesset.
It will be Israel’s first election held on schedule since 1988. The current government is also the first in more than 50 years to complete a full term.
A Political Mess
Israel’s official party register contains 170 registered parties. Thirteen parliamentary groups currently sit in the 120-seat Knesset.
Since 2015, with each election due to the country’s proportional representation system and a 3.25% electoral threshold, the number that actually hold seats in the Knesset varies. The exact number of parties with seats changes after each election due to the threshold and alliance strategies.
Low Party Threshold
Israel’s political system, combined with gusto of so many to enter the political arena independently, encourages forming many small parties. These small parties are representing either a niche group or an individual who decided to form their own party.
The low threshold, combined with nationwide party‑list voting, makes it nearly impossible for any single party to win a majority – 61 seats – so governments are almost always coalitions of multiple parties.
Parties often form pre‑election alliances to pool votes and clear the threshold, which can change the number of parties running and winning seats. Some parties merge or dissolve after elections, while others emerge from protest movements or ideological shifts.
Two Jews, Three Opinions Quip
There is a Jewish character which Prime Minister Meir’s diplomatic idiom highlighted which is two Jews, three opinions.
This idiom humorously reflects the stereotype that Jews are often opinionated and quick to debate. It suggests that when two Jews are together, they will naturally generate at least three different viewpoints on a given topic.
The phrase is rooted in a stereotype that Jews are more argumentative or opinionated than other groups. Among Jews, speaking jokingly is a way for Jews to reclaim and lightly mock this stereotype, turning it into a shared cultural humor rather than a negative label.
This applied sharply to the 40 political parties. Anyone who has an opinion in Israel and wishes it to be announced publicly registers a political party.
But as I have been saying for many years, if Jews do not stand united, they (are likely to) fall.
Lack of Unity Endangers Israel’s Existence
In a recent TV interview with Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu who leads the right wing Likud Party, I heard him saying the harsh reality that if the political Left takes over Israel’s political arena, the Knesset, Israel will cease to exist. In Israel the left means the rule of the political left with the Arab parties. That means that all of Israel’s surrounding enemies will be given the chance to revive militarily and bring the end of Israel’s existence internally and from across its borders.
Additionally, with the growing global anti-Semitism Israel and Jews now face, the danger to Israel and Jews is on the rise daily.
At this point in time, the United States is Israel’s steady ally and partner. All it needs is to have an anti-Israel congress and the pressure on Israel rises.
Dermer’s Call for Unite Lead Fight – and Win
On September 9, 2026, starting their U.S tour in Los Angeles, Ron Dermer, former Israel Minister of Strategic Affairs, and Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress Israel, made a high-profile call – Unite. Lead. Fight – urging Israel to use its intelligence, cyber, and strategic capabilities to fight a “global war” against antisemitism.
Dermer and Adams argue that Israel’s military successes against Iran and regional adversaries have demonstrated its strength and deterrence, and that the same resources should now be deployed to counter the well-funded, global threat of anti-Semitism.
Adams described it as a “war being fought without bullets” but stressed it must be treated as a serious, coordinated campaign. Adams also said that the extremely well-funded anti-Semitism global campaign is not a fringe movement but a threat to the existence of all Jews – in Israel and abroad.
Dermer called for a dedicated “war room” focused on combating anti-Semitism, similar to Israel’s military operational centers for regional conflicts. He warned that “the enemies of the Jews have to understand if you go after us, there’s going to be a price.” Even if Israel loses some battles, because “in fighting those battles, we will restore deterrence.”
Solidarity With The Diaspora
The event, aimed to strengthen solidarity with Jews worldwide, was sponsored by IAC (Israeli-American Council). It was part of Dermer’s Unite. Lead. Fight North American tour. I will add to the slogan AND WIN. Dermer emphasized that Jewish sovereignty has not eliminated anti-Semitism but has given the Jewish people the power to fight back, which many, including Jewish organizations and way too many rabbis, have neglected to recognize and act upon forcefully.
Adams, the son of Holocaust survivors, said that after October 7, 2023, the surge in anti-Semitism had overturned his long-held belief that it was a fringe issue. In essence, Dermer and Adams are framing anti-Semitism as a strategic, coordinated threat requiring Israel’s full state capabilities, not just diplomatic or community-based responses, and both are urging a unified, proactive Jewish leadership to meet it.
The combination of one Jew, three opinions, 40 political parties in Israel and global anti-Semitism is a losing formula. Israel must have one Prime Minister and a Jewish population of one voice to survive. The very same for the diaspora Jews. You cannot vote for a Zohran Mamdani type politician and expect something other than anti-Semitism on steroids.
I call on the people who make up the Jewish nation – in Israel and abroad – to wrap their heads around what they are facing.
