Politics in Israel is dominated by Zionist
parties.
They traditionally fall into three camps,
the first two being the largest: Labor Zionism
(social democrat), Revisionist Zionism (conservative)
and Religious Zionism.
There are also several non-Zionist Orthodox
religious parties, non-Zionist left-wing groups
as well as non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Israeli
Arab parties.
== Political conditions ==
Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel from
1969 to 1974, once joked that "in Israel,
there are 3 million prime ministers".
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.
The prevalent balance between the largest
parties means that the smaller parties can
have strong influence disproportionate to
their size.
Due to their ability to act as tie breakers,
they often use this status to block legislation
or promote their own agenda, even contrary
to the manifesto of the larger party in office.
From the founding of Israel in 1948 until
the election of May 1977, Israel was ruled
by successive coalition governments led by
the Labor Alignment (or Mapai prior to 1967).
From 1967 to 1970, a national unity government
included all of Israel's parties except for
the two factions of the Communist Party of
Israel.
After the 1977 election, the Revisionist Zionist
Likud bloc (then composed of Herut, the Liberals,
and the smaller La'am Party) came to power,
forming a coalition with the National Religious
Party, Agudat Israel, and with others.
The 2013 Freedom in the World annual survey
and report by U.S.-based Freedom House, which
attempts to measure the degree of democracy
and political freedom in every nation, ranked
Israel as the Middle East and North Africa’s
only free country.
In 2016 the Economist Intelligence Unit has
rated Israel as "flawed democracy".
== Prime Ministers and governments since 1996
==
=== Netanyahu (1996–1999) ===
In those elections – the first direct election
of a prime minister in Israeli history – Likud
leader Benjamin Netanyahu won by a narrow
margin, having sharply criticized the government's
peace policies for failing to protect Israeli
security.
Netanyahu subsequently formed a predominantly
right-wing coalition government publicly committed
to pursuing the Oslo Accords, but with an
emphasis on security first and reciprocity.
His coalition included the Likud party, allied
with the Tzomet and Gesher parties in a single
list; three religious parties (Shas, the National
Religious Party, and the United Torah Judaism
bloc); and two centrist parties, The Third
Way and Yisrael BaAliyah.
The latter was the first significant party
formed expressly to represent the interests
of Israel's new Russian immigrants.
The Gesher party withdrew from the coalition
in January 1998 upon the resignation of its
leader, David Levy, from the position of Foreign
Minister.
=== Barak (1999–2001) ===
On 27 May 1999, Ehud Barak from One Israel
(an alliance of Labor, Meimad and Gesher)
was elected Prime Minister, and formed a coalition
with the 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) ===
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 election results, Sharon was
able to form a right-wing government consisting
of the Likud, Shinui, the National Religious
Party and the National Union.
The coalition focused on improving Israeli
security through fighting against terror,
along with combating economic depression.
However, when Sharon decided on his 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) ===
On 4 January 2006 Prime Minister Sharon suffered
a massive stroke and went into a coma, and
subsequently died in 2014.
Designated 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 March 2006 elections, which
left Kadima as the largest party in the Knesset,
Olmert became prime minister.
He included Labour, Shas and 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 (2009–present) ===
On 31 March 2009 the Knesset approved the
appointment of Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime
Minister, despite Kadima having won slightly
more votes than Netanyahu's Likud.
Netanyahu's government took office the following
day, 1 April 2009.
On 19 March 2013 Netanyahu was designated
Prime Minister again after Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
won the most seats in the January elections.
The new coalition included the Yesh Atid,
the Jewish Home and Hatnuah parties, and excluded
ultra-Orthodox parties.
Netanyahu achieved reelection to the national
post on 18 March 2015, and subsequently formed
a governing coalition with Likud at the forefront,
which included the Jewish Home, Kulanu, Shas
and United Torah Judaism.
== Political parties and elections ==
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 ===
On the political right:
Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating
Jewish populating (a.k.a. settlement) of Judea
& Samaria, a.k.a. West Bank (and formerly
of the Gaza Strip), and opposing evacuation
of any of these communities.
(Largely defunct)
Yesha Council (Yesha being a Hebrew acronym
for "Judea Samaria Gaza"), a loose formation
of local office-bearers in the Occupied Territories
who represent the interests of the Israeli
settlers in the West Bank.
. They have high influence through strong
organization and highly motivated communities.
Almagor: an association of terror victims.
Professors for a Strong Israel
=== Political left ===
On the political left:
Peace Now supports territorial concessions
in the West Bank and was critical of government's
policy in withdrawing from Lebanon after the
1982–1986 war and the subsequent withdrawal
from South Lebanon.
Geneva Initiative and The People's Voice (HaMifkad
HaLeumi), two peace initiatives led by prominent
Israeli and Palestinian public figures that
surfaced in 2004.
These initiatives were based on unofficial
bilateral understandings between the two sides,
and offer models for a permanent agreement.
HaHistadrut ("The Union"; short for "the General
Union of the Workers in Israel"), an umbrella
organization for many labor unions in Israel.
In the past, was identified with the different
forms of the Israel Labor party; nowadays,
the chairman of the Histadrut is Offer Eyni.
The former chairman Amir Peretz became head
of the socialist One Nation party, which eventually
merged into Labor in 2004, which Peretz led
from November 2005 to June 2007.
Several radical left-wing organizations calling
soldiers to refuse service in the West Bank
and Gaza; the best known are Ometz LeSarev
("Courage to Refuse") and Yesh Gvul (There's
a limit/border).
Ma'avak Sotzialisti (Socialist Struggle) campaigns
against privatisation and the worsening conditions
faced by workers and young people in Israel.Left-leaning
politics are traditionally supported by Israel's
academic, cultural, and business elites, as
well as its security establishment.
=== Political centre ===
In the Political centre:
The political centre (represented in Knesset
by Yesh Atid and Kulanu, and in the past represented
by Kadima and Gil) combines the Israeli right's
lack of confidence in the value of negotiations
with the Palestinians and the Arab states
with the assertion of the Israeli left that
Israel should reduce the Israeli presence
in the areas of the West Bank.
As a result of that, the Political centre
supports unilateral actions such as the Israeli
West Bank barrier and Israel's unilateral
disengagement plan alongside the continuation
of militaristic actions (such as the Selective
assassination policy) as a means of fighting
against terrorism.
Economically, the centre is liberal and supports
Economic liberalism and has a capitalistic
approach.
Until recently, the Political centre in the
Knesset was relatively small—it never won
more than 15 seats on average and centre parties
tended to disintegrate within less than two
terms (for example: Democratic Movement for
Change, the Centre Party and Shinui).
Other centre parties split up into factions
which joined one or both of the two major
parties, like Yachad (Ezer Weizman's party,
which merged into the Alignment in 1987),
Telem (Moshe Dayan's party, which eventually
split up between the Alignment party and Likud),
Independent Liberals (also merged into the
Alignment) and the General Zionists (which
together with Herut created Gahal, the forerunner
of Likud).
Also parties which do not identify themselves
as political right or political left are considered
to be centre parties.
For example: The Greens which focuses on environmental
subjects and up until today 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.
The lobby for the release of Jonathan Pollard,
an American who spied on his own government
and leaked national secrets to Israel
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 charedi 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:
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Arab–Israeli
conflict
The relationships between Jewish religious
movements
The nature of the state of Israel; (e.g.,
in what ways should it represent Judaism and
in what ways should it represent secular democracy?)
(see Jewish State and Religion in Israel)
The Economy, and social issues.
== See also ==
System of Government of Israel
== References ==
== 
External links ==
The Israeli Left Archive at the International
Institute of Social History
