Well Hadash is mostly supported by Arabs but it has one token Jewish MK.
Meretz is mostly supported by Jews but it has one token Arab MK.
Hadash is non/anti-Zionist.
Meretz claims to still be Zionist but there's not much evidence for this.
Hadash is a front of the Communist Party.
Meretz is partially the organizational successor to Mapam, who were kinda sorta like pre-WWI unreformed Marxist social democrats.
Hadash mostly focuses on Arab/peace issues and doesn't talk much about economics, although when they do they are left-wing.
Meretz mostly focuses on peace issues and doesn't talk much about economics, although when they do they have flirted with neo-liberalism.
In any case, I guess I would then vote Meretz as an Arab, and Hadash as a Jew. I have a contradictory mind...
There is another, not mentioned important distinction: since Hadash is a non-Zionist party, Hadash has never been in the government, and neither have Hadash's antecedents, though Hadash has sometimes supported leftist governments on matters of confidence. By contrast, Meretz and its antecedents have been part of every Labor-led government for many years (though the last one was 1999-2001, so that was a while ago; Meretz was excluded from the Kadima-led governments, 2005-2009). Thus, if Yitzhak Herzog is to become PM, Meretz will very likely be part of his coalition, while Hadash certainly will not be.
Poll
