Israel's Elections

Israel's political system is one of the most confusing in the world.  When Israelis go to the polls on January 28th, they will face a bewildering array of 29 parties from across the economic, social, and political spectrum.

The Israeli system is a parliamentary one, based on proportional representation.  The Knesset consists of 120 members; it takes 61 to form a government.  All Israeli governments have been coalitions of one kind or another.

Voters elect a party, which is assigned a certain number of seats in the Knesset based on the percentage of the vote it receives.  Israel has a 1.5% cutoff (one of the lowest in the world) allowing any party receiving above that amount of the vote to win a seat - and ensuring that many of the 29 parties running will have a say in the next government.  The following is a brief introduction to those parties with special reference to peace process issues.

On the Right

Likud: The Likud party is Israel's main right-wing party, originally founded by Menachem Begin.  Its current leader,  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has been consistently hardline on security issues, but says he would be willing to make "painful concessions" to the Palestinians in exchange for peace.  He has not elaborated, and most commentators believe he would contemplate returning no more than 42% of the West Bank and Gaza, a figure not acceptable to any Palestinian faction.  Nevertheless, his position is more moderate than that of Binyamin Netanyahu, the number two candidate on the Likud list, as well as the positions of most of the other candidates.  In the context of Likud, Sharon is a moderate.  Although internal scandals continue to plague Likud, polls show the party likely to win 32 seats, more than any other party under current forecasts.

SHAS is the Sephardic religious party.  Eli Yishai, the chairman of SHAS, avoids making political or security declarations concerning the peace process until negotiations.  However, the party unambiguously states that there currently is no partner for peace and is also in favor of strengthening settlements.  Polls show that if elections were held today, the party would receive 9-10 seats.

United Torah Judaism is led by Meir Porush and represents an ultra-Orthodox perspective.  Expected to win five seats, the party's stance on the peace process is usually close to that of Likud.

Herut, headed by Michael Kleiner, is currently projected to lose its only seat.  The far right party considers the Oslo Accords a crime and advocates Palestinian emigration - although it does not support an active transfer.  Kleiner himself is one of the most outspoken hardliners in Israeli politics.  

The National Union Party is an alliance of three right-wing parties, Yisrael Beiteinu, Moledet and Tekuma.  It is directed by Avigdor Lieberman, who considers the Oslo Accords a failure and vehemently opposes returning territories, evacuating settlements, and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  In addition, National Union opposes the Quartet roadmap, claiming it is merely the Oslo accords in disguise.  Party leaders have in the past advocated forced transfer of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.  National Union is currently projected to receive eight seats in the upcoming elections.

Yisrael b'Aliyah primarily represents a hawkish Russian constituency and is led by negotiations-sceptic Natan Sharansky, who maintains that any dealings with the Palestinians should be contingent on reform and democratization.  The party proposes a high-profile American initiative to achieve those goals.  Polls predict Yisrael b'Aliyah will receive four Knesset seats.

The National Religious Party is Israel's original party of the religious right.  NRP, standing behind the religious principle of "Greater Israel" and led by Brigadier-General Effi Eitam,  opposes the return of any territory, the evacuation of any settlement, and the establishment of a Palestinian state.  Furthermore, NRP fiercely opposes Oslo and considers the Quartet roadmap a disguise for the Accords.  The NRP is predicted to win about four seats.

Gesher, led by Eti Shiraz Asor, is unlikely to win representation.  Founded when David Levy left Likud in 1996, the party also embraces a right of center position on most political issues.

Tzomet, a militant far-right party, lost all of its seats in the last elections.  Currently headed by Moshe Green, the party vehemently opposes the Oslo Accords or any future agreement with the Palestinians, and will most likely not re-gain representation.

On the Left

Labor: Newly elected Labor leader Amram Mitzna has wasted little time revealing his stance on the peace process.  He promises that, if elected, he will immediately remove settlements in the Gaza Strip and launch unconditional negotiations, irrespective of the current PA leadership.  If those negotiations are unsuccessful after 12 months, he promises a unilateral withdrawal.  This stance unveils a rift in the party, as former party leader Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, agreeing with the Bush Administration, states that Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat should not be a partner for talks.  With Likud scandals abounding, the projected total seats for Labor has been rising; current predictions are at 22 seats.

Meretz describes itself as a "democratic peace-seeking party, in which Arabs and Jews work together."  It is consistently left wing on issues both foreign and domestic.  Meretz supports the establishment of a Palestinian state and the dismantling of most of the settlements.  Led by Yossi Sarid, the party was recently joined by Labor stalwarts Yossi Beilin and Yael Dayan.  It is predicted that eight members of Meretz will be awarded seats in the Knesset.

Shinui, or change, is dedicated to reducing the Orthodox leverage over Israeli politics.  Its main plank is thus separation of synagogue and state.  Although it generally has center-left positions on other issues, its specific stance on the peace process is vague.  Shinui is projected to win as many as 14 seats.

The Center Party, currently led by David Magen, no longer represents its founding members, who included Yitzhak Mordechai, Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Roni Milo, and Dan Meridor.  It holds a moderate position on most foreign policy issues and is not expected to win any seats.

One Nation, led by Amir Peretz, is projected to win around three seats.  The social welfare party has no official stance on the peace process, aside from supporting an eventual agreement.

The Green Party's Israeli branch is led by Pe'er Wisner.  It focuses on environmental issues and is not expected to win a seat.

Arab Parties

The Arab parties as a group are expected to win about eight seats.   The main parties include Balad, or the National Democratic Assembly, Hadash - Ta'al (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality - Arab Movement for Renewal; Israel's ‘Communist Party'), and the United Arab List.  They are headed by Azmi Bishara, Mohamed Barakeh, and Abdel Malik Dehamshe, respectively.

All  advocate equal rights for Arab citizens of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state.  A case currently on appeal before Israel's Supreme Court would ban MKs Azmi Bishara and Ahmed Tibi from running in the election.  It is unclear how this will affect the future of the parties they head or the Arab vote in general.

More radical Arab parties include the Organization for Democratic Action, headed by Asma Agbariya, and the Progressive National Alliance, led by Hashem Mahameed.  Neither is expected to reach the cut-off.

New Parties

There are several new parties running in the elections, as well.  Yisrael Aheret, targeted toward young voters, supports unilateral withdrawal and the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.  It is led by Boaz Nul, and is not currently projected to win any seats.

Ale Yarok, which has unsuccessfully run in the past, promotes the legalization of marijuana and supports a two-state solution.  It could win up to two seats and is led by Boaz Wachtel.

Ahavat Yisrael, headed by Yossi Kedouri, is the ‘new Orthodox Sephardic' party.  It was established in opposition to SHAS and would likely have a similar political platform if elected - an unlikely scenario.

Other new parties include Moreshet Avot, Citizen and State, Lahava, Men's Rights in the Family (Ra'ash), Leeder, Torah and Shabbat Judaism, and Za'am (Social Justice).  None are likely to win seats.

Choosing between the plethora of parties is only the beginning of Israel's turbulent political process.  Elections will be followed by a complex coalition bargaining phase and the eventual formation of a government - a process that usually takes several weeks.  For now, however, Israeli voters have plenty of action to follow.