Israel’s fringe parties turn election filing day into a spect

Every Israeli election brings them back: the tiny parties with little expectation of entering parliament but every intention of making their appearance at the Central Elections Committee memorable. They were back Monday as candidate slates were formally submitted for the upcoming Knesset election, alongside the larger parties fighting to cross the electoral threshold and, in some cases, lead the next government. This year’s breakout character was “Sharshar,” the stage name of Eitan Shvili, who arrived at the Knesset wearing a blue cape and crown to submit the slate of his party, “Sharshar for Love and Unity of the People.” The party requested the Hebrew ballot letters “Tzedek” (צדק), meaning “justice.” Even Central Elections Committee chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg joined in, asking him: “Where is the queen?” Shvili said his slate included 12 candidates and described his mission as giving a voice to hundreds of thousands of Israelis suffering…