Israel’s once-mighty left now endangered species

JERUSALEM: The Israeli left, once the country’s dominant political force, has become an endangered species, with the mainstream Labor Party severely weakened and the social-democrat Meretz fighting to stay in parliament.

Next week’s election, Israel’s third in less than a year, is expected to be another tight race between right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and the centrist Blue and White party — with the left again confined to the sidelines.