Israel has many small parties. They may represent an immigrant, religious, social, or pressure groups. Religious parties are sometimes influential far beyond their size.
Those small parties may take a stand on major issues, but their electoral appeal is based upon the specific and limited goal for which they were created.
Why should anybody bother to vote for those small parties? Aren't the major issues facing the country more important?
Perhaps some people realize that they really don't know what needs to be done to resolve the immense, looming issues faced by the government. They then consider the issues that they feel can be handled.
If must be very frustrating for them to realize that those issues will be neglected as well.
Not much can be done at this stage. No politician in any small party would be willing to give up his seat. Furthermore, politicians also need a way to let off steam. The best way may be to leave a big party in a huff and start up a smaller one.
We cannot say that small parties should not exist, or that people should avoid them. They will not want to be swallowed up as a faction in the larger parties. Yes, they do remove some of the power from the larger parties - and that may be the reason for their existence.
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