Politics of Israel

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This article is about the political parties and conditions in Israel. For the political structure of Israel, see Israeli system of government.

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    • Politics in Israel are dominated by

    Israeli Arab
    parties.

    Early history (1948–1977)

    During the

    Agudat Israel
    , and others.

    Prime ministers and governments since 1996

    Netanyahu I (1996–1999)

    Further information: Twenty-seventh government of Israel

    In the

    Foreign Minister
    .

    Barak (1999–2001)

    Further information: Twenty-eighth government of Israel
    Office of the President of Israel in 2007

    On 27 May 1999,

    Centre Party (a new party with centrist views, led by former generals Yitzhak Mordechai and Amnon Lipkin-Shahak), the left-wing Meretz, Yisrael BaAliyah, the religious Shas and the National Religious Party. The coalition was committed to continuing negotiations; however, during the two years of the government's existence, most parties left the coalition, leaving Barak with a minority government of the Labor and the center party alone. Barak was forced to call for early elections
    , the only prime ministerial elections not held alongside Knesset elections.

    Sharon (2001–2006)

    Further information: Twenty-ninth government of Israel and Thirtieth government of Israel

    On 17 February 2001, elections resulted in a new "national unity" coalition government, led by Ariel Sharon of the Likud, and including the Labor Party. This government fell when Labor pulled out, and new elections were held 28 January 2003.

    Based on the

    2004 disengagement plan, which included evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories (particularly the Gaza Strip
    ), the National Union and National Religious Party withdrew from the coalition. Sharon's attempt to add the Haredi United Torah Judaism to the coalition drove Shinui out, and forced Sharon to bring the Labor Party back into his coalition.

    Since not all Likud Knesset members supported Sharon's disengagement plan, he still lacked a clear majority in the Knesset. Apparently calculating that his personal popularity was greater than that of the party, Sharon pulled out of the Likud on 21 November 2005 and formed his own new Kadima party. He was joined only days later by Shimon Peres, who pulled out of the Labor party to join Sharon in a bid for a new government. This represented a cataclysmic realignment in Israeli politics, with the former right and left joining in a new centrist party with strong support (unlike previous centrist parties in Israel, which lacked the popularity Kadima now seemed to enjoy).

    Olmert (2006–2009)

    Further information: Thirty-first government of Israel
    Wikinews has related news:

    On 4 January 2006 Prime Minister Sharon suffered a massive stroke and went into a

    Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
    took power, becoming interim Prime Minister 100 days after Sharon's incapacitation. He did not become full Prime Minister due to elections being held in March and a new government being formed.

    Following the

    Gil in a 67-seat coalition. In November 2006, Yisrael Beiteinu (11 seats) also joined the government, but departed from the coalition in January 2008. Faced with internal opposition due to mounting corruption charges, Olmert announced that he would not seek reelection in the next elections held in February 2009. Tzipi Livni won the September 2008 Kadima leadership elections
    , but failed to form a new coalition government.

    Netanyahu II (2009–2021)

    Further information: Thirty-second government of Israel, Thirty-third government of Israel, Thirty-fourth government of Israel, and Thirty-fifth government of Israel

    On 31 March 2009 the

    Hatnuah parties, and excluded ultra-Orthodox parties. In 2015, Netanyahu was re-elected for a third term, forming a coalition with the Jewish Home, Kulanu, Shas and United Torah Judaism
    .

    Following the April and September 2019 elections, no party was able to amass a governing majority, leading to fresh elections. In 2020, Netanyahu was able to form a government with Blue and White, Labor, Gesher, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Derekh Eretz and the Jewish Home.[3] The government dissolved in December, triggering fresh elections in 2021.[4]

    Bennett (2021–2022)

    Further information: Thirty-sixth government of Israel

    An agreement was made by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in early June 2021 to form a coalition government that would replace the long-standing government led by Netanyahu. On 13 June 2021, Knesset voted and approved the appointment of the new catch-all coalition government, and on the same day Bennett was sworn-in as the new prime minister of Israel. The government dissolved in June 2022, leading Lapid to serve as Prime Minister until the formation of a new government on 29 December 2022.

    Netanyahu III (2022–present)

    Further information: Thirty-seventh government of Israel

    After the 2022 Israeli legislative election, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud formed a government with Shas, United Torah Judaism, the Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit and Noam. The government was sworn in on 29 December 2022.

    Political conditions

    Further information: Israeli system of government
    The Knesset (Parliament of Israel)

    Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974, once joked that "in Israel, there are 3 million prime ministers".[5] The particular version of proportional representation used, in which the whole country is a single constituency, encourages the formation of a large number of political parties, many with very specialized platforms, and often advocating the tenets of particular interest groups.[citation needed] The prevalence of similar seat totals among the largest parties[citation needed] means that the smaller parties can have strong influence disproportionate to their size. Due to their ability to act as kingmakers, the smaller parties often use this status to block legislation or promote their own agenda, even contrary to the manifesto of the larger party in office.

    Israel political system with President of the State, Executive branch and Legislative branch

    The 2013

    flawed democracy" in 2022.[8]

    Political parties and elections

    For other political parties, see List of political parties in Israel. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Israel.
    Main article: 2022 Israeli legislative election

    Compared to other countries, the number of parties contesting Knesset elections is relatively high considering the population size. This has resulted in a fragmented legislature where smaller parties have representation in the Knesset and no party has the 60+ seat majority needed to form a Government on its own.

    This system also allows fringe parties which hold views outside of the mainstream political and public consensus to have representation in the Knesset. Examples of these are the

    Haredi religious parties, parties that represent the national religious or limited agenda parties such as Gil
    , which represented pensioners in the 2006 elections.

    Other political groups

    Israeli politics are subject to unique circumstances and often defy simple classification in terms of the political spectrum. Groups are sometimes associated with the political left or right, especially in international circles, according to their stance on issues important to the Arab–Israeli conflict.

    Political right

    See also: Far-right politics in Israel

    On the

    political right
    :

    Political left

    The Peace Kids, a mural affiliated with the Israeli left in Tel Aviv depicting Palestinian Handala and Israeli Srulik
    embracing one another

    On the

    political left
    :

    Left-leaning politics are traditionally supported by Israel's academic, cultural, and business elites, as well as its security establishment.[9][10]

    Political centre

    The

    Telem (Moshe Dayan's party, which eventually split up between the Alignment and Likud). The Independent Liberals
    which had spit from the Liberals eventually merged into the Alignment.

    Parties which do not identify themselves as political right or political left are also considered to be centre parties. For example: The Greens,[citation needed] which focuses on environmental subjects and so far has not been able to enter the Knesset.

    Interest groups

    • The agriculture lobby, which seek to receive subsidies and tax relief on water.
    • The lobby for promoting the status of women, a
      feminist
      group which co-operates with the Knesset.
    • Or Yarok ("Green Light"): an organization devoted to reducing road accidents in Israel through education, enforcement, improvement of infrastructure and the establishment of a national task force to research the problem and formulate a long-term plan to reduce car accidents.

    Others

    • Notable rabbinic figures have considerable influence on several Israeli parties and politicians, notably Shas and United Torah Judaism.
    • Edah HaChareidis, anti-zionist Haredi organisation, that mostly demonstrates against secularization, mostly in Jerusalem
    • The Monitor Committee of Israeli Arabs, an Arab group, claiming to represent the interests of the
      Israeli Arab
      minority in Israel, tend to be separatists and hence perceived as hostile by the Jewish majority and have little influence in politics.

    Political issues

    Major issues in Israeli political life include:

    See also

    References

    1. ISBN 978-0-333-67631-8
      .
    2. ^ "Ariel Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister, dead at 85". CNN. 11 January 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
    3. ^ Rina Bassist (9 May 2020). "Netanyahu's future coalition, without the settlers?". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
    4. ^ "Knesset officially dissolves, Israel heads to new elections". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
    5. ^ "Latitude: A Libel Law and a Balancing Act" Archived 11 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 1 December 2011
    6. ^ US watchdog: Israel is Mideast’s only 'free' state Archived 17 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Jpost. January 2013
    7. ^ "The 2015 Report". Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
    8. ^ "Democracy Index 2022: Frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine" (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit. 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
    9. ^ "AP Analysis: In Fractured Israel, All Electoral Bets Are Off". The New York Times. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
    10. ^ "Israeli Challenger Herzog a Determined Underdog". The New York Times. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
    11. ^ Hoffman, Gil (21 February 2019). "Gantz and Lapid's 'Blue and White' reveals list, only 2 women in top 10". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
    12. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
      from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.

    External links
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Politics_of_Israel&oldid=1216489129"