Editing Liberalism in Israel

{{short description|Overview of liberalism in Israel}}
{{Liberalism sidebar}}

'''[[Liberalism]] in [[Israel]]''' has played a role since the country's founding.<ref name=forefront>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Jerusalem Report]]|title=Yair Lapid's shot at bringing the political center to the forefront|first=Amotz|last=Asa-El|author-link=Amotz Asa-El|date=24 March 2018|url=https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/yair-lapid-and-the-forbidden-journey-546689}}</ref>

Several liberal [[political party|political parties]] have claimed substantial popular support, mainly proved by having representation in the [[Knesset]]. While liberalism is usually suspicious of nationalism, Jewish liberals in Israel generally support some form of [[Zionism]]. They tend to be more receptive towards a [[Two-state solution]].

[[Conservative liberalism|Conservative liberals]] (see [[General Zionists]], [[Israeli Liberal Party|Liberal Party]]) were founding members of the [[Likud]], the country's main conservative party, while [[social liberalism|social liberals]] (see [[Progressive Party (Israel)|Progressive Party]], [[Independent Liberals (Israel)|Independent Liberals]]) were integrated in the social-democratic [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]]. Later on, a long-time liberal, [[Anti-clericalism|anti-clerical]] and pro-[[free market]] party was [[Shinui]], a member of the [[Liberal International]]. More recently, [[Kadima]] was a broad liberal and centrist party, integrating politicians from the left and the right. Current liberal (and [[Zionism#Liberal Zionism|liberal Zionist]]) parties are [[Yesh Atid]] and the [[Israel Resilience Party|Resilience Party]] ([[Blue and White (political alliance)|Blue and White]]). [[New Hope (Israel)|New Hope]] is a national-liberal party. By contrast, [[Balad (political party)|Balad]] draws upon liberal values in its aim to eliminate discrimination against [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab citizens]] and redefine Israel as a state for all its citizens rather than a "Jewish and democratic state", but it is a [[Secularism|secular]] party rather than a liberal one.

== Overview ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! width=12%|School
! colspan="2" width=28%|Party
! width=60%|Leaders
|-
! rowspan="1" scope=row | [[Classical liberalism]]
| style="background:{{party color|General Zionists}}"|
| [[General Zionists]] (1922–1961)
| {{Hlist|[[Meir Dizengoff]]|[[Israel Rokach]]|[[Peretz Bernstein]]|[[Yosef Sapir]]}}
|-
! rowspan="5" scope=row | [[Social liberalism]]
| style="background:{{party color|Progressive Party (Israel)}}"|
| [[Progressive Party (Israel)|Progressive Party]] (1948–1961)
| {{Hlist|[[Pinchas Rosen]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Kulanu}}"|
| [[Kulanu]] (2014–2019)
| {{Hlist|[[Moshe Kahlon]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Gesher (2019 political party)}}"|
| [[Gesher (2019 political party)|Gesher]] (2019–2021)
| {{Hlist|[[Orly Levy-Abekasis]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Israel Resilience Party}}"|
| [[Israel Resilience Party]] (2019–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Benny Gantz]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Blue and White (political alliance)}}"|
| [[Blue and White (political alliance)|Blue and White]] (2019–2022)
| {{Hlist|[[Benny Gantz]]}}
|-
! rowspan="10" scope=row | [[Liberalism]]
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Israeli Liberal Party}}"|
| [[Israeli Liberal Party]] (1961–1988)
| {{Hlist|[[Pinchas Rosen]]|[[Peretz Bernstein]]|[[Yosef Serlin]]|[[Yosef Sapir]]|[[Elimelekh Rimalt]]|[[Simha Erlich]]|[[Pinchas Goldstein]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Independent Liberals (Israel)}}"|
| [[Independent Liberals (Israel)|Independent Liberals]] (1965–1992)
| {{Hlist|[[Pinchas Rosen]]|[[Moshe Kol]]|[[Gideon Hausner]]|[[Yitzhak Artzi]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Shinui}}"|
| [[Shinui]] (1974–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Amnon Rubinstein]]|[[Avraham Poraz]]|[[Tommy Lapid]]|Ron Levintal}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Movement for Change}}"|
| [[Democratic Movement for Change]] (1976–1978)
| {{Hlist|[[Yigael Yadin]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Hetz (political party)}}"|
| [[Hetz (political party)|Hetz]] (2006–2012)
| {{Hlist|[[Avraham Poraz]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Kadima}}"|
| [[Kadima]] (2006–2015)
| {{Hlist|[[Ariel Sharon]]|[[Ehud Olmert]]|[[Tzipi Livni]]|[[Shaul Mofaz]]|[[Akram Hasson]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Hatnua}}"|
| [[Hatnua]] (2012–2019)
| {{Hlist|[[Tzipi Livni]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Yesh Atid}}"|
| [[Yesh Atid]] (2012–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Yair Lapid]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|National Unity Party (Israel)}}"|
| [[National Unity Party (Israel)|National Unity]] (2022–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Benny Gantz]]}}
|-
! rowspan="3" scope=row | [[National liberalism]]
| style="background:{{party color|Likud}}"|
| [[Likud]] (1973–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Menachem Begin]]|[[Yitzhak Shamir]]|[[Ariel Sharon]]|[[Benjamin Netanyahu]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Telem (2019 political party)}}"|
| [[Telem (2019 political party)|Telem]] (2019–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Moshe Ya'alon]]}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|New Hope (Israel)}}"|
| [[New Hope (Israel)|New Hope]] (2020–present)
| {{Hlist|[[Gideon Sa'ar]]}}
|-
|}

==Timeline==
===From General Zionists to Liberal Party===
*1922: Centrists in the [[World Zionist Organization]] form the [[General Zionists]].<ref name="Jewishvirtuallibrary">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/general-zionism|title = General Zionism}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/General_Zionists|title = YIVO &#124; General Zionists}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/f4qJJcMKBJkxu2gGfAkc/full|title=Who represented the Israeli middle class? The crystallization of the General Zionists from 1948 to 1949|journal=Middle Eastern Studies|date=9 January 2018|last1=Goldstein|first1=Amir|volume=54|issue=3|pages=400–414|doi=10.1080/00263206.2017.1419468|s2cid=148943042|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/general-zionists|title = General Zionists}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=81 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040905075854/http://knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=81 |archive-date=2004-09-05 |title=Parliamentary Groups in the Knesset}}</ref>
*1931: The General Zionists split in "Faction A" and "Faction B".<ref name="Jewishvirtuallibrary"/>
*1945: Factions A and B of the General Zionists merge.<ref name="Jewishvirtuallibrary"/>
*1951: The party wins 16.2% of the vote and 20 seats in the [[1951 Israeli legislative election|general election]].
*1961: The party merges with the [[Progressive Party (Israel)|Progressive Party]] (PP) to become the [[Israeli Liberal Party]] (LP),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=79 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040905075846/http://knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=79 |archive-date=2004-09-05 |title=Parliamentary Groups in the Knesset}}</ref><ref name="Progressive Party">{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/progressive-party|title = Progressive Party}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/the-liberal-party|title = The Liberal Party}}</ref> which wins 13.6% of the vote and 17 seats in the [[1961 Israeli legislative election|general election]].
*1965: The LP splits with the conservative majority joining [[Herut]] to form [[Gahal]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/gachal|title=Gachal}}</ref> eventually becoming [[Likud]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/likud|title = Likud - parties}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=המהפך הליברלי; מיזוגים פוליטיים : חקר המפלגה הליברלית בישראל|trans-title=The Liberal Revolution; Political Mergers: A Study of the Liberal Party in Israel|year=2013|first=Dror|last=Zeigerman|author-link=Dror Zeigerman
|isbn=9789651908903|publisher=[[Schocken Books]]}}</ref> and the leftist faction forming the [[Independent Liberals (Israel)|Independent Liberals]].
*1988: The LP and Herut formally merge transforming Likud from an electoral coalition to a unitary political party.

===From Progressive Party to Independent Liberals===
*1948: The [[Progressive Party (Israel)|Progressive Party]] (PP) is formed.<ref name="Progressive Party"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=82 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040905075858/http://knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=82 |archive-date=2004-09-05 |title=Parliamentary Groups in the Knesset}}</ref>
*1961: The PP merges with the [[General Zionists]] to become the [[Israeli Liberal Party|Liberal Party]] (LP).<ref name="Progressive Party"/>
*1965: The [[Independent Liberals (Israel)|Independent Liberals]] are founded by splinters from the LP.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/independent-liberals|title = Independent Liberals}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=53 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040905075701/http://knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=53 |archive-date=2004-09-05 |title=Parliamentary Groups in the Knesset}}</ref>
*1984: The party joins the [[Alignment (Israel)|Alignment]] electoral list.
*1991: The party is formally merged into the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]].

===Shinui, Democratic Movement, Shinui, Hetz, Yesh Atid, Hosen and minor parties===
*1973: [[Amnon Rubinstein]] forms [[Shinui]].<ref name="Shinui">{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/shinui|title=Shinui}}</ref><ref name="Shinui/Knesset">{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=160 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040905080345/http://knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=160 |archive-date=2004-09-05 |title=Parliamentary Groups in the Knesset}}</ref>
*1976: Shinui merges with other minor liberal parties to become the [[Democratic Movement for Change]] (Dash).<ref name="Shinui"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/dash|title = Dash}}</ref>
*1977: Dash wins 11.6% of the vote and 15 seats in the [[1977 Israeli legislative election|general election]].
*1978: Dash splits into the [[Democratic Movement (Israel)|Democratic Movement]] and the Movement for Change and Initiative.
*1981: The Movement for Change and Initiative renames itself Shinui.
*1988: Shinui is renamed Shinui–Center Party.<ref name="Shinui/Knesset"/>
*1992: The party merges with [[Mapam]] and [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] to form [[Meretz]],<ref name="Shinui"/><ref>{{cite book|title=מגמות בחברה הישראלית|editor-first1=Zeev|editor-last1=Shavit|editor-link1=Zeev Shavit|editor-first2=Ephraim|editor-last2=Yuchtman-Yaar|volume=2|year=2001|page=1166|publisher=[[Open University of Israel]]|trans-title=Trends in Israeli Society}}</ref> a social-democratic party.
*1998: [[Avraham Poraz]] leads a split from Meretz and recreates Shinui as an independent party.
*1999: [[Tommy Lapid]] is invited by Poraz to head Shinui.
*2003: The party wins 12.3% of the vote and 15 seats in the [[2003 Israeli legislative election|general election]].
*2006: Lapid leaves Shinui and Poraz forms [[Hetz (political party)|Hetz]].<ref name=heading>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]]|title=Livni heading for 10 seats, and Barak will make it back into the Knesset, poll shows|first=Yoel|last=Goldman|date=23 November 2012|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/livni-heading-for-10-seats-and-barak-will-make-it-back-into-the-knesset-poll-shows/}}</ref>
*2006: Both Shinui and Hetz fail to win any seats in the [[2006 Israeli legislative election|general election]].<ref name=heading/>
*2012: Poraz allows [[Tzipi Livni]] to use the Hetz's infrastructure to base her new party, [[Hatnua]].<ref name=heading/>
*2012: [[Yair Lapid]], Tommy's son, launches [[Yesh Atid]].<ref name=forefront/> 
*2013: In the [[2013 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Yesh Atid wins 14.3% and 19 seats.
*2015: In the [[2015 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Yesh Atid is reduced to 8.8% of the vote and 11 seats.
*2018: [[Benny Gantz]] launches the [[Israel Resilience Party|Hosen]], a broad centrist party whose economic goals are liberal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gantz declares himself politically flexible|first=Gil|last=Hoffman|author-link=Gil Hoffman|date=31 December 2018|newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/gantz-declares-himself-politically-flexible-575978}}</ref> [[Orly Levy]], a splinter from [[Yisrael Beiteinu]], forms [[Gesher (2019 political party)|Gesher]].
*2019: In the run-up of the [[April 2019 Israeli legislative election|April general election]] Yesh Atid, Hosen and the newly-formed [[Telem (2019 political party)|Telem]], led by former Likud minister [[Moshe Ya'alon]], join forces into [[Blue and White (political alliance)|Blue and White]]. The list wins 26.1% and 35 seats, while Gesher 1.7% and no seats. In the [[September 2019 Israeli legislative election|September general election]] the Blue and White list comes first with 26.1% and 33 seats, while Gesher obtains one seat for its leader Levy in alliance with the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]].
*2020: In the [[2020 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Blue and White increases its tallies to 26.6% and 33 seats, but comes second after Likud. After the election, Blue and White splits over the formation of a national-unity government along with Likud: Hosen, which retains the "Blue and White" name, on one side, Yesh Atid and Telem on the other. In the event, a minority faction of Telem splits and forms [[Derekh Eretz (political faction)|Derekh Eretz]], supporting the national-unity government along with Hosen. In December Derekh Eretz joins [[New Hope (Israel)|New Hope]]. Also in December [[Ofer Shelah]], a splinter from Yesh Atid, announces his intent of forming a new political party named [[Tnufa]], while, on the left, [[Tel Aviv]] mayor [[Ron Huldai]] leaves the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]] to launch [[The Israelis (political party)|The Israelis]], which was joined also by leading splinters from Hosen / Blue and White.
*2021: In the run-up of the [[2021 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Yesh Atid and Telem part ways, and the latter finally drops out. In the election Yesh Atid wins 13.9% and 17 seats, Blue and White 6.6% and 8 seats, New Hope 4.7% and 6 seats. All three parties go on to be part of the [[36th government of Israel]], with Yesh Atid being the largest faction.

===Splits from and mergers into Likud===
*2005: [[Ariel Sharon]], [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]] and leader of the Likud, leaves the party and forms [[Kadima]] largely to support the [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza|unilateral disengagement plan]] from the [[Gaza Strip]] and is soon joined by like-minded politicians from the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]], notably including [[Shimon Peres]], and other parties.
*2006: Sharon suffers a massive stroke, but Kadima, led by [[Ehud Olmert]], wins the [[2006 Israeli legislative election|general election]] with 22.0% of the vote and 29 seats. Olmert is Prime Minister.
*2009: Kadima, led by [[Tzipi Livni]], comes first the [[2009 Israeli legislative election|general election]] with 22.5% of the vote and 28 seats, but Livni fails to form a government.
*2013: Kadima, which has suffered the split of [[Hatnua]], is reduced to 2.1% of the vote and 2 seats in the [[2013 Israeli legislative election|general election]]. Hatnuah gets 5.0% and 6 seats.
*2014: Hatnuah joins the [[Zionist Union]] list, along with the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]] and the [[Green Movement (Israel)|Green Movement]].
*2014: [[Moshe Kahlon]], a splinter from [[Likud]], launches [[Kulanu]]. Kadima, whose latest leader has joined the brand-new Kulanu, withdraws from the next election.
*2015: In the [[2015 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Hatnuah wins 6 seats from the Zionist Union list and Kulanu wins 7.5% and 10 seats.
*2019: In the run-up of the [[April 2019 Israeli legislative election|April general election]] Hatnuah announces withdrawal and the party is dissolved with Livni's retirement from electoral politics. Kulanu wins 3.5% and 4 seats. Kulanu does not contest the [[September 2019 Israeli legislative election|September general election]], after agreements with Likud. Kulanu gets one seat from Likud's list.
*2020: In the [[2020 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Kulanu gets one seat from Likud's list. In December [[Gideon Sa'ar]], a splinter from Likud, launches [[New Hope (Israel)|New Hope]]. Kulanu's latest leader joins New Hope.
*2021: In the [[2021 Israeli legislative election|general election]] New Hope wins 4.7% and 6 seats.

=== Zehut ===
*2015: After the election, [[Moshe Feiglin]] leads his [[Manhigut Yehudit|faction]] out of Likud and forms the (right-)libertarian [[Zehut]].
*2019: In the run-up of the [[April 2019 Israeli legislative election|April general election]] Zehut receives 2.7% and no seats. Zehut does not contest the [[September 2019 Israeli legislative election|September general election]], after agreements with Likud. 
*2020: Before the [[2020 Israeli legislative election|general election]] Zehut stays out the election.
*2021: Feiglin rejoins Likud.

=== Liberal party factions ===

* 2013: Within [[Likud]], "Likud Liberals" ([[:he:הליברלים_בליכוד|He]]) is established to push issues of [[individualism|individual]] freedom and [[economic liberalism]]. The group supports candidates [[Sharren Haskel]] (now [[New Hope (Israel)|New Hope]]) and [[Amir Ohana]], who push liberal issues.<ref>{{Cite web|script-title=he:הליברלים בליכוד |language=he |trans-title=Likud Liberals |via=[[Facebook]] |url=https://www.facebook.com/likudliberal}}</ref>
* 2019: Within [[Meretz]], "Meretz Liberals" is established to push [[individualism|individual]] freedom, [[economic freedom]] and [[political freedom]] (including ending the [[Israeli Military Governorate]] in the [[West Bank]]).<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=MeretzLiberals |number=1290354725863460866 |date=3 August 2020 
|script-title=he:מעכשיו אנחנו גם בטוויטר 🙂 אנו שואפים לקדם בישראל חופש בשלושה מובנים: חופש מדיני- סיום השלטון הצבאי ביו"ש. חופש כלכלי- מינימום התערבות ממשלתית. חופש הפרט- החופש של כל אחד לחיות לפי בחירתו בכל המובנים, לפי אורח חייו, אמונתו, מיניותו וכד', כל עוד הוא אינו פוגע ישירות באחר. |language=he |trans-title=From now on we are also on Twitter 🙂 We strive to promote freedom in Israel in three ways: Political freedom - the end of military rule in Judea and Samaria. Economic freedom - minimum government intervention. The freedom of the individual - the freedom of everyone to live according to his choice in all respects, according to his lifestyle, faith, sexuality, etc., as long as he does not directly harm the other. |url=https://twitter.com/MeretzLiberals/status/1290354725863460866}}</ref> The group also pushes for a repeal of the [[Conscription in Israel|Conscription law]], [[School choice]], reduction of import [[tariff]]s, reduction of [[regulation]], [[separation of church and state]], establishing a [[Basic Laws of Israel|constitution for Israel]], and lowering the [[electoral threshold]].<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=he:הליברלים במרצ |language=he |trans-title=Meretz Liberals |via=[[Facebook]] |url=https://www.facebook.com/libmeretz/posts/2304476356532841 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/2297697867210690/2304476356532841 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Media ==
*''[[Haaretz]]''

==See also==
*[[Conservatism in Israel]]
*[[Jewish left]]
*[[Liberal hawk]]
*[[Progressive except Palestine]]
*[[History of Israel]]
*[[Politics of Israel]]
*[[List of political parties in Israel]]

==References==
{{reflist}}


{{Asia topic|Liberalism in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberalism In Israel}}
[[Category:Liberalism in Israel| ]]
[[Category:Liberalism by country|Israel]]
[[Category:Politics of Israel]]