Külügyi Szemle - A Teleki László Intézet Külpolitikai Tanulmányok Központja folyóirata - 2003 (2. évfolyam)
2003 / 1. szám - KÖZEL-KELET - Gazdik Gyula: The evolution of the Israeli party system
The evolution of the Israeli party system World War. As a result of the heavy losses suffered by the East European Orthodox Jewish communities during the Holocaust, masses of Jews migrated to Palestine. Hence, the Agudat Israel joined forces with the nationalists and a series of compromises finally convinced the ultra-orthodox community with respect to the establishment of the State. The various religious groups, which transformed into political parties prior to the first elections - due to the special historical circumstances - competed in the 1949 elections on a joint list under the name of United Religious Front and participated in two coalition governments of the parliamentary cycle. At the next Knesset elections, however, the pre-war division had become dominant with respect to Zionism. Among the four parties in question, the Mizrahi and the Hapoel Hamizrahi - supporters of the original Zionist concept of state formation - continued to participate in the government at ministerial level. By contrast - due to their commitment to the Secular State concept - the Aguda parties had never participated in coalition governments at the ministerial level. On the other hand, the vice-premiership came under a different category. Hence, it frequently occured that the prime minister symbolically assumed the role of a minister and a minister of a given party assumed operative duties as deputy prime minister. On the organisational level, the merger in 1956 of the two parties that cooperated with the Zionists - resulting in the National Religious Party /NRP/ - became a turning point in party politics. The preservation of religious values and the unhindered operation of religious establishments constituted the main targets of the party's programme. After the 1967 war, the party had gradually abandoned its passive stance with respect to foreign policy decisions, in particular to any proposal concerning the partial or complete return of occupied territories. The party became the main proponent of the settlement policy of the 1970s and demanded the annexation of the occupied territories.19 Whereas the NRP had governed in coalition with the socialists for some time, the rift between the two factions gradually deepened during the 1970s. After the 1977 elections the NRP formed a coalition with the ideologically similar Likud bloc. This situation endured, except for a period at the beginning of the 1990s when - as a result of the Oslo process and the concessions made to the Palestinians - it entered into coalition with the Labour Party. By contrast to the Zionist parties, the mainly Ashkenazim Aguda parties efforts to unite were unsuccessful for some time to come. The turning point arrived prior to the 1992 elections, when the two Aguda parties entered into coalition under the title of Torah Flag /Degel Hattorah/. The new political formation currently participates in the Knesset under the name of United Torah Judaism /Yahdut Hatóra/.20 The Haredi parties have not been concerned with the religious significance with respect to the emergence of the Israeli State, do not have a strong grassroots support among the settlers and differ in their conception with regard to the peace arrangement. By 2003. tavasa 47
