# The Pirate Party: what they've published Close Read, episode 5. Pirate Party (הפיראטים, צפים לטוב), list 5, ballot letters צף. Published October 4, 2026. Israel's Knesset election is on October 27, 2026. - Page: https://closeread.show/israel-2026/pirate-party/ - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roUUCr9s4c8 - Audio: https://media.closeread.show/audio/closeread-005-pirate-party-f5da9776.mp3 The Pirate Party's website says it wants to get rid of the electoral threshold, the minimum share of the vote a party needs to enter the Knesset. [S3](#source-s3) [S4](#source-s4) ## Who is Pirate Party? The Pirates, running as "The Pirates: floating toward good," ballot letters Tzadi Peh, a list of 24 approved candidates headed by Ohad Shem Tov. [S1](#source-s1) [S2](#source-s2) ## What has Pirate Party published? There's no platform document written for this election. What they have is a website, piratim.org, with a short platform page on an open wiki, about 590 words. [S4](#source-s4) They also post a founding charter they call "the flag," which the page says was written in 2012 [S5](#source-s5), and a question and answer page. [S6](#source-s6) The home page quotes the platform. [S3](#source-s3) Their election page lists the candidates and three short videos. [S7](#source-s7) The site says the platform was written by members on the wiki over more than a decade, so this is a standing platform, and they don't date it. [S3](#source-s3) ## What does Pirate Party say about security and foreign policy? The platform lists "peace between all inhabitants of the land" as a goal. [S3](#source-s3) [S4](#source-s4) It has a section titled "war and peace," and the only text under it is a subheading, "peace, security, and love," and one line: "This used to have an audience," with a winking emoji. [S4](#source-s4) I couldn't find a published position on Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, the Palestinians, or the United States. ## What does Pirate Party say about accountability for October 7? I couldn't find a published position on October 7 accountability. ## What does Pirate Party say about the economy and the cost of living? On taxes, prices, wages, or the budget, I found nothing published. ## What does Pirate Party say about housing? I found no position on housing. ## What does Pirate Party say about religion and state? The question and answer page lists "upgrading personal status laws and separating religion from politics" among the issues they'd push. [S6](#source-s6) Personal status law covers marriage and divorce. They don't say what the upgrade would be. I couldn't find a position on the Haredi draft. ## What does Pirate Party say about the judiciary and governance? This is where most of their material is. The home page and the platform both say they want to abolish the electoral threshold. [S3](#source-s3) [S4](#source-s4) The question and answer page gives a different number: lower the threshold to what it calls its natural level, 0.83 percent, and count blank ballots as votes for empty Knesset seats. [S6](#source-s6) Both are on the site today. They call for internet elections, and they say they're addressing the roughly 40 percent of people who don't vote, and Israelis living abroad. [S3](#source-s3) They want what they call participatory democracy. They've named their own model "dynamicracy": members vote directly on decisions or hand their vote to someone they trust, and can take it back at any time. The platform says that if they're elected, the party will use this model. [S4](#source-s4) [S3](#source-s3) They also list transparency in how government decisions are made and in who is lobbying for what [S4](#source-s4), and, on the question and answer page, strengthening local government, limiting the powers of government, and changing and implementing Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. [S6](#source-s6) I couldn't find a position on the courts or on how judges are picked. ## What does Pirate Party say about education? The founding charter says education should be free in government institutions, salaries in the field should go up, and education should be a national priority. [S5](#source-s5) ## What does Pirate Party say about health? The same line in the charter covers health: free in government institutions, higher salaries, national priority. [S5](#source-s5) ## What does Pirate Party say about social welfare, pensions and the elderly? The platform lists services "for the whole life cycle, from birth to the end of days," naming education, culture, health, and welfare. [S4](#source-s4) I couldn't find anything specific on pensions or the elderly. ## What does Pirate Party say about Arab citizens and minorities? I couldn't find a position specific to Arab citizens. The platform's freedom section says everyone should be free "without distinction of religion, race, sex, or operating system." [S4](#source-s4) ## What does Pirate Party say about immigration, absorption and the diaspora? The internet voting idea is framed partly around Israelis abroad taking part in elections. [S3](#source-s3) I couldn't find a position on immigration or absorption. ## What does Pirate Party say about the environment, energy and transportation? They list protecting water sources, nature, and the environment. [S4](#source-s4) [S5](#source-s5) I couldn't find a position on energy or transportation. ## What Pirate Party puts front and center Free high speed internet for everyone, which they call "a basic democratic right." [S5](#source-s5) [S4](#source-s4) Complete legalization of cannabis. [S4](#source-s4) And intellectual property. The charter says copyright and patent law should protect creators and stop protecting old business models, and the platform says the public benefit of a work has to be balanced against the creator's right to make a living from it. [S5](#source-s5) [S4](#source-s4) Privacy and freedom of expression are listed next to it. [S4](#source-s4) One campaign ad, posted on YouTube on September 28, has a one-line description: "This country is a tree. Stop taking!" [S9](#source-s9) ## What Pirate Party hasn't published They haven't published positions on security beyond the peace goal, October 7, the economy, housing, the draft, the courts, Arab citizens, energy, or transportation. ## Chapters - 0:00 Intro - 0:43 Who they are - 0:54 What they've published - 1:43 October 7, Economy: no stated position - 1:59 Housing, Religion and state - 2:21 Judiciary and governance - 3:40 Education - 3:51 Health, Welfare - 4:16 Arab citizens and minorities - 4:30 Immigration, Environment - 4:50 What they put front and center - 5:48 What's missing ## Sources - S1: [Central Elections Committee, "רשימות המועמדים לכנסת" for the 26th Knesset (all lists with letters)](https://www.gov.il/he/pages/candidates-lists-26) (Official list index, Hebrew, published page updated 2026-09-30) - S2: [CEC page for "הפיראטים, צפים לטוב", submitted by "מפלגת הפיראטים", 24 approved candidates, ballot slip image](https://www.gov.il/he/pages/pirates_list_5) (Official list page, Hebrew, published 2026-09-07, updated 2026-09-29) - S3: [piratim.org home page: "ישראל מוכנה לפיראטים", five headline sections with quotes "מתוך מצע המפלגה"](https://piratim.org/) (Website, Hebrew, published site log says build for 2026-09-07 launch; v1.21 dated 2026-09-11) - S4: ["מצע" (platform), open wiki, 590 words, 8 sections, ends with "הפיראטים בישראל יחתרו ל:" list](https://piratim.org/wiki/matza/) (Platform page, Hebrew, published undated; wiki text written over "more than a decade" per S3) - S5: ["הדגל": founding declaration (written 2012 per the page), five "קווי יסוד" and "הפיראטים חותרים ל" list](https://piratim.org/flag/) (Founding charter page, Hebrew, published 2012 text, republished on current site) - S6: ["שאלות ותשובות", wiki, 662 words, includes "איזה נושאים הפיראטים יקדמו?"](https://piratim.org/wiki/shealot/) (Q&A page, Hebrew, published undated (refers to "the last elections" turnout of about 65%)) - S7: ["הבחירות לכנסת ה-26": candidate list with bios, campaign ads, media list](https://piratim.org/elections/) (Election page, Hebrew (English version also saved), published 2026-09) - S8: ["מדינה" (the state), 65 words, supports "דמוקרטיה נזילה"](https://piratim.org/wiki/medina/) (Wiki page, Hebrew, published undated) - S9: ["תשדיר העץ" (60 s), description only; audio not transcribed](https://youtu.be/J2y4NsWUzno) (Campaign video, Hebrew, published 2026-09-28)