Candidate Urges Action to Avert National Crisis

A candidate for the upcoming vote is sounding an alarm that the country's current trajectory mirrors troubles she has witnessed in the capital.

Esti Ayalon Kovo, a Jerusalem resident pivoting from a career in diplomacy to public office, is seeking a seat in the Knesset. She occupies the 21st position on the B'Yachad list, a ticket led by Naftali Bennett, ahead of the 2026 elections scheduled for the immediate future.

Her path to politics began with a move to the capital for family reasons. Following her children's acceptance to a school in the city, the family settled in Beit Hakerem. She expressed deep attachment to the location, remarking that she 'couldn't imagine being anywhere else,' while noting the city is never boring.

Prior to her candidacy, Ayalon Kovo served as head of Israel's Economic Mission in China, having been born in Ethiopia before immigrating to Israel. Her interest in representing the state abroad developed early in her life, driven by a desire to engage with the world on Israel's behalf.

She frames her decision to run as centered on the future of her children. She stated she is participating in the race for that specific purpose, arguing that the nation requires immediate and serious repair, alongside effective governance and thorough plans to address basic challenges.

Campaign issues, she identified, center on the absence of leadership that accepts responsibility. She linked this gap to a string of failures, specifically citing October 7 and the flydubai hijacking, alongside the necessity of preserving Israel as a liberal, Zionist, Jewish, and democratic state.

Regarding the latter point, Ayalon Kovo argued that the haredi state-within-a-state functioning around military enlistment, education, and the workforce must be broken up. Failure to do so, she fears, will cause troubling economic, educational, and social trends from Jerusalem to spread throughout the country.

She also offered guidance to immigrants hoping to influence public life and run for office. 'You didn't come here to sit back and watch Israel's story unfold,' she said, urging them to take an active part in shaping it, adding, 'This is your country. Your home.'

Ayalon Kovo added that B'Yachad would welcome anyone who wants change and repair after what she described as difficult past few years. The interview was conducted by In Jerusalem before the elections.