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 judicially admonished Aryeh Deri - modified the party's political axioms. The politician, who served as minister in the Barak and the Sharon cabinets construes that the Likud is his party's biggest rival, since the disillusioned Likud electorate considerably contributed to the Shas's election successes. Consequently, Yisai's strategy has been targeting the reinforcement of the party's position on the right wing band of the political spectrum. He had stipulated that social issues could again become the party's top priority after this goal is accomplished. In order to realise these targets, he has abandoned controversial politicking and re-established contacts with the settlers and - following the failure of the Camp David negotiations - sharply criticised the Oslo processes. The leaders of Shas had frequently voiced extreme anti-Arab and respectively, anti-Palestinian sentiments and those members - advocating the resumption of the peace process - completely faded into the background.23 This change, however, did not strengthen Yisai's position, since the opinion polls forecast the waning of Shasi's grass-root support. It transpires from the Table illustrating the various parties' performance that these blocs - in contrast to 1988 - had made considerable gains in 1990: with the inclusion of the One Israel Party's coalition partner, Meimad, they have increased their mandates by 13 e.g. they already gained 28 mandates in 1999. However, it has to be noted that 23 out of this total had belonged to the representatives of the ultra-Orthodox parties. On the whole - until the end of the 1970s - the Zionist religious party has gained about twice as many mandates as the Heradi organisations, but subsequently this advantage gradually disappeared and as of 1988, the trend suffered a reversal: with the aid of the Shas, the ultra-Orthodox parties gradually increased their mandates with respect to the URP. Ethnic parties and other miscellaneous organisations Besides the consolidation of the religious parties, a range of Arab minority parties, groupings comprising immigrants from the successor states of the Soviet Union and other alternative organisations, further enhance the political spectrum:24 The Israeli Arab blocs had already existed prior to the first Knesset elections, but had joined the Labour Party electoral list. During the 1950s and 60s, the military rule in the Arab-inhabited territories restricted the manoeuvring space of the Arab political forces. Political activities and coordination commenced only after the removal of this restriction. The Arab local government leaders' executive council was established in 1974 and subsequently, the committee for Arab affairs had been formed. The Arabs emerged in earnest on the political scene only in the 1980s. During this period, besides the mostly Arab-supported communist party, the Progressive List for Peace, comprising Arabs and Jews, became their mouthpiece before the 1984 elections. One of 2003. tavasz 49
