List of political parties in Israel
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Israel's political system is based on proportional representation and allows for a multi-party system with numerous parties represented in the 120-seat Knesset.
A typical Knesset includes many factions represented. This is because of the low election threshold required for a seat – 1 percent of the vote from 1949 to 1992, 1.5 percent from 1992 to 2003, 2 percent from 2003 to 2014, and 3.25 percent since 2015. In the 2015 elections, for instance, ten parties or alliances cleared the threshold, and five of them won at least ten seats. The low threshold, in combination with the nationwide party-list system, makes it all but impossible for a single party to win the 61 seats needed for a majority government. No party has ever won a majority of seats in an election, the most being 56, won by the Alignment grouping in the 1969 elections (the Alignment had briefly held a majority of seats before the elections, following its formation in January 1969).
As a result, while only four parties (or their antecedents) have ever led governments, all Israeli governments, Template:As of, have been coalitions comprising two or more parties.
Current parties
Parties represented in the Knesset
The following parties are represented following the 2022 election:
New/expected party
Other parties
The following parties do not have Knesset seats at present: Template:Div col
- Ahrayut
- Ale Yarok
- Am Shalem
- Ani Veata (Me and You) — The Israeli People's Party
- Arab Democratic Party
- Balad (held seats from 1996 to 2022)
- Bible Bloc
- Brit Olam
- Da'am Workers Party, Organization for Democratic Action
- Derekh Eretz
- Dor
- Eretz Hadasha
- Green Party
- HaYisraelim
- Ihud Bnei HaBrit (United Allies)
- Israel Hofsheet (Israel Free)[5]
- Kadima (held seats from 2005 to 2015)
- Koah HaKesef
- Koah LeHashpi'a
- Lazuz
- Leader
- Lehem
- Lev LaOlim
- Man's Rights in the Family Party
- Magen Yisrael (Shield of Israel)
- Mahane Yehuda — Royalist Party of Israel
- Meimad (held seats between 1999 and 2009 as part of the One Israel alliance)
- New Horizon
- New Right
- Or
- Piratim — The Pirate Party of Israel
- Rappeh — a political party protesting COVID restrictions.[6]
- Shavim (Community) — Founded in 2018 as an LGBT party
- Telem[7]
- The Greens
- Tzeirim Boarim (Youths on Fire) — A big tent party founded in 2022 by Hadar Muchtar with the purpose of combating the rising cost of living.[8]
- Tzomet (held seats between 1987 and 1999; for the 1996 elections, it formed a joint "National Camp List" with Likud and Gesher)
- U'Bizchutan — founded in 2015 as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish women's party [9]
- Yachad
- Yisrael Hazaka
- Yisrael HaMithadeshet
- Zehut
Former parties
Parties formerly represented in the Knesset
Parties that failed to win seats in the Knesset
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| Name | Letter | Political position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatzohar | <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />ג | Right-wing | Original Revisionist Zionist party, disbanded after failing to cross the electoral threshold in the 1949 elections. |
| Popular Arab Bloc | <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />ת | Left-wing | Arab satellite list that ran in the 1949 elections. Affiliated with Mapam |
| Tafnit | <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />פ | Centre | Ran in the 2006 elections. |
| Women's Party | <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />נס | Centre-left to Left-wing | Ran in the 1977 elections. |
| Yamin Yisrael | <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יד | Right-wing | Broke away from Moledet, another right-wing party, prior to the 1996 elections, but failed to cross the electoral threshold. |
| The Arab List - The Center | <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />צח | Centre | Arab satellite list that ran in the 1955 elections. Affiliated with General Zionists |
Family tree of parties in Israel
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Name changes
The following parties changed their names
- Banai became Tehiya-Bnai, then Tehiya
- Emunim became Tkuma
- Equality in Israel-Panthers became the Unity Party
- Flatto-Sharon became Development and Peace
- Hitkhabrut became the Renewed Religious National Zionist Party, then Ahi
- Israel in the Centre became the Centre Party
- Meretz became Yachad, then Meretz-Yachad, then Meretz again
- Movement for Change and Initiative became Shinui
- Mizrachi-Hapoel HaMizrachi became the National Religious Front, then National Religious Party, then The Jewish Home
- National Responsibility became Kadima
- National Unity - National Progressive Alliance became Progressive National Alliance
- Parliamentary Group of Bronfman and Tsinker became Makhar, then the Democratic Choice
- Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea became the New Liberal Party
- Rafi – National List became Ometz
- Rakah became Maki
- Secular Faction became Hetz
- Social-Democratic Faction became the Independent Socialist Faction
- Shinui - Centre Party became Shinui - the Secular Movement, then Shinui - Party for the Secular and the Middle Class, but is generally known as Shinui
Zionist youth movements
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| Name | Meaning | Movement | Association | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betar | League of Joseph Trumpeldor | Revisionist | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Likud | Historically associated with Herut, and now Likud. |
| Bnei Akiva | Sons of Akiva | Religious | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | The Jewish Home | Historically associated with Mafdal, and now The Jewish Home. |
| Habonim Dror | The Builders of Freedom | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Labor Party | Associated with the Labor Zionism and the United Kibbutz Movement, and unofficially with the Israeli Labor Party. |
| Hashomer Hatzair | The Young Guard | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Meretz | Associated with the left faction of Labor Zionism, historically associated with Mapam and the Kibbutz Artzi movement, and unofficially with Meretz. |
| HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed | The Working and Learning Youth | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Labor Party | Associated with the Labor Zionist movement, Histadrut, and unofficially with the Israeli Labor Party. |
| Meretz Youth | Meretz Youth | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Meretz | Youth wing of Meretz (under 18), now associated with The Democrats |
| Noar HaAvoda | Labor Youth | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Labor Party | Young-wing of the Israeli Labor Party (under 18), now associated with The Democrats. |
| Noar HaIhud HaLeumi | National Union Youth | Religious | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Religious Zionist | Youth wing of the Religious Zionist Party. |
| Noar HaGvaot | Hilltop Youth | Religious | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Otzma Yehudit | Historically associated with Kach, and its various successor parties. |
| Noar Yesh Atid | Yesh Atid Youth | Liberal | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Yesh Atid | Youth wing of Yesh Atid (under 18). |
| HaMahanot HaOlim | The Immigrants Camps | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | None | Associated with the Labor Zionist movement. |
| HaNoar HaTzioni | The Zionist Youth | Liberal | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | None | Historically associated with the General Zionists. |
| Ariel | Lion of God | Religious | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Religious Zionist | Split from Bnei Akiva, unofficially associated with Religious Zionist Party. |
| HaNoar HaDati HaOved VeHaLomed | The Religious Working and Studying Youth | Religious | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | None | Founded in 1952, historically associated with Hapoel HaMizrachi. |
| Template:Ill | The Likud Youth | Revisionist | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Likud | Youth wing of Likud (under 18). |
| Young Meretz | Young Meretz | Labor | style="background-color:Template:Party color"| | Meretz | Young-wing of Meretz (18-35). |
See also
- Politics of Israel
- List of political parties by country
- Liberalism in Israel
- Labor Zionism
- Revisionist Zionism
References
External links
- Parties participating in the 2006 elections Knesset website Template:In lang
- All parliamentary groups Knesset website Template:In lang
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