Israel Political Arena From Dominant party, thru dual center to the current instability

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.

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.

Mapai as the Dominant Party Mapai/ Labore Leftwing Zionists Mapam Religious Parties Bourgeois party General Zionists/ Liberal Potential partners for coalition Herut Communists Ben Gurion: “Without Herut and whitout Maki” Non Partners

Election results

Dual System Labor Leftwing Parties Secular Parties Likud Religious Parties Right-wing Parties The main dispute: The future of the territories

Prime Ministers  David Ben Gurion (Mapai) – 1948 –  Moshe Sharet (Mapai) –  David Ben Gurion (Mapai)  Levi Eshkol (Mapai - renamed Labor) –  Golda Meir (Labor) –  Yitzhak Rabin (Labor) –  Menachem Begin (Likud) – – The Upheaval  Shimon Peres (Labor) –  Yitzhak Shamir (Likud)– ( After Begin resignation) ;  Yitzhak Rabin (Labor) (Assassinated by a right- wing radical and was replaced by Peres for Seven months).  Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) – (Direct election for PM).  Ehud Barak (Labor) – (Direct election for PM).  Ariel Sharon (Likud) ( Direct election in 2001 and by the Knesset in 2003)  Ehud Olmert (Kadima)