Israel Political Arena

1
Israel Political Arena

• From Dominant party, thru dual center to the
  current instability

2
Election and the legislative branch

• The entire country is one electoral district.
• The election is for the Knesset - the House of
  Representatives.
• A party that wins more than 2 of the votes (the
  qualifying threshold) is represented.
• Proportional representation the number of seats
  which every list receives in the Knesset is
  proportional to the number of voters who voted
  for it.
• The result is multiplicity of parties which
  represent, in some cases, small groups of
  interest.

3
The System The executive branch

• The head of the biggest party (usually) is
  appointed by the president as prime minister.
• The biggest party forms a coalition to have
  majority
• The policy of the government is a compromise
  between different parties which formed the
  coalition.
• The prime minister depends on every member of the
  coalition.
• The system suffers from instability. 5 elections
  in 10 years.

4
Mapai as the Dominant Party 1948-1977
Potential partners for coalition
Communists
Ben Gurion Without Herut and whitout Maki
Non Partners
5
Election results 1949-2006
6
Dual System 1977-2001
The main dispute The future of the territories
7
Prime Ministers 1948-2006

• David Ben Gurion (Mapai) 1948 1953.
• Moshe Sharet (Mapai) 1954-1955.
• David Ben Gurion (Mapai) -1955-1963.
• Levi Eshkol (Mapai - renamed Labor) 1963-1969.
• Golda Meir (Labor) 1969-1974.
• Yitzhak Rabin (Labor) 1974-1977.
• Menachem Begin (Likud) 1977-1983 The Upheaval
• Shimon Peres (Labor) 1984-1986
• Yitzhak Shamir (Likud) 1983-1984 (After Begin
  resignation) 1986-1992.
• Yitzhak Rabin (Labor) - 1992-1995 (Assassinated
  by a right-wing radical and was replaced by Peres
  for Seven months).
• Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) 1996-1999 (Direct
  election for PM).
• Ehud Barak (Labor) 1999-2001 (Direct election
  for PM).
• Ariel Sharon (Likud)- 2001-2006 (Direct election
  in 2001 and by the Knesset in 2003)
• Ehud Olmert (Kadima) - 2006