Likud

Likud (Hebrew: ×œ×™×›×•×", literally means "consolidation") is a right-wing political party in Israel. The Likud's roots are in Zeev Jabotinsky's Revisionist Zionism which became the Herut party and was the main opposition to the Labour Zionist Mapai party. After a split which saw the formation of the new centrist Kadima party by a number of Likud and other Knesset Members, Likud was routed in the 2006 Knesset election.

Ideological Positions

Economy

The Likud claims to support free market capitalism, though in practice it has mostly adopted moderate economic policies, with conservative tendencies. The Likud, under the guidance of Finance minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pushed through legislation reducing the VAT, income and corporate taxes significantly, as well as the customs duty. Likewise, it has instituted free-trade (especially with the EU and the U.S.) and dismantled certain monopolies (Bezeq and the sea ports). Additionally, it has managed to privatize numerous government owned companies (El Al and Bank Leumi). The last Likud Finance minister, now the party leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, was the most ardent free-market Israeli Finance minister to-date, argues that Israel's largest labor union, the Histadrut, has so much power as to be capable of paralyzing the Israeli economy. He also claims that the main causes of unemployment are laziness and excessive benefits to the unemployed. Under Netanyahu, Likud are likely to maintain a right-wing conservative economic stance.

Palestinian-related Issues

Likud has in the past led the hawkish policies towards the Palestinians and (until the election of Sharon in 2001) opposed Palestinian statehood, and supported the settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 2006 the Likud Party platform continued to claim the Jordan river as Israel's eastern border. http://www.knesset.gov.il/elections/knesset15/elikud_m.htm At the height of terror attacks by Palestinian militants in 2002, Israel's Likud-led government reoccupied Palestinian towns and refugee camps and Israel continues to control those in the West Bank today. In 2005 Ariel Sharon, elected Prime Minister as head of the Likud, carried out the unilateral evacuation of the Gaza Strip, including the demolition of Israeli settlements there and in part of the West Bank. While a majority of the Likud's parliamentarians tacitly opposed this policy, dissapproving a coalition government with the Labor Party, a substantial minority , including most of Sharon's cabinet , supported this policy vociferously. These MP's have now left Likud and joined the new Kadima party founded by former Likud Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. This new party supports unilateral disengagement from most of the West Bank and the fixing of borders by the separation barrier. Disengagement will ultimately mean allowing the creation a Palestinian state although smaller than most Palestinians are likely to accept. Binyamin Netanyahu the new rightist leader of Likud, Uzi Landau and Limor Livnat are strongly opposed to Palestinian statehood and further unilateral evacuations. Most current Likud members support the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and oppose Palestinian statehood and disengagement from Gaza.

Culture

Zeev Jabotinsky

The Likud promotes a revival of Jewish-oriented culture, in keeping with the principles of revisionist zionism.

The Likud emphasize such nationalist themes as the flag and the heroism that won Israel's 1948 war with seven Arab states. The Likud advocates teaching values in childhood education. The Likud endorses press freedom and promotion of private-sector media, which has grown markedly under governments Likud has led. A Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon, however, closed the popular right-wing pirate radio station Arutz 7 ("Channel 7). Arutz 7, was popular with settlement movement, and often criticised the government from a right-wing perspective.

History

Formation and the Menachem Begin years

The Likud was formed by the joining together of La'am (made up of the Free Center, State List and the "Movement for Greater Israel") and Gahal (Gush Herut Liberalim) in preparation for the 1973 elections. The Likud worked as a coalition of its factions led by Menachem Begin's Herut until 1988 when the factions formally dissolved and Likud became a unitary political party. From its establishment in 1973, Likud enjoyed great support from blue-collar Sephardim who felt discriminated against by the ruling Mapai (Labour) party.

The first Likud prime minister was Menachem Begin (elected 1977). A former leader of the hard-line paramilitary Irgun, he helped initiate the peace process with Egypt, which resulted in the Camp David Accords and the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.

Yitzhak Shamir, Netanyahu's first term and Ariel Sharon

The second premier was Yitzhak Shamir, who first became PM in October 1983 following Begin's resignation. Shamir, a former commander of the Lehi underground, served as a strong Israeli leader seen as more hard-line than Begin. Under his leadership, the Jews of Russia and Ethiopia were brought on aliyah to Israel and settlements flourished throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The third Likud premier was Benjamin Netanyahu, elected in May 1996, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Netanyahu proved far less ideological than Begin and could not stand up to United States pressure as firmly as Shamir had. Like his rivals in the Labour party, Netanyahu negotiated with Yasser Arafat.

The fourth Likud premier was Ariel Sharon, elected March 2001, who resigned from both the Likud and as Prime Minister on 21st November 2005. Sharon served as defense minister during Operation Peace for the Galilee (1982). His entire tenure was marked by the Al-Aqsa Intifada and he ventured further away from the Likud's traditional values than even Netanyahu had. In the summer of 2005, Sharon uprooted thousands of Jews from their homes in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank in order to surrender the territory to the Palestinian Authority.

In 1998, after Benjamin Netanyahu ceded territory to the Palestinians in the Wye accords, the Herut movement split off from the Likud in an act of protest. Led by Benny Begin (Menachem Begin's son), Michael Kleiner and David Re'em, Herut: The National Movement was politically supported by former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir (who had expressed harsh disappointment in Netanyahu's leadership).

In 2001, following the terrorist attacks of the al-Aqsa Intifada, Ehud Barak lost the elections to Likud leader Ariel Sharon. At the 2003 elections the Likud doubled its power, rising to 40 mandates (out of 120) and securing power jobs in the government, ministries, public institutes and state bureaucracy.

Kadima split

Ariel Sharon's perceived leftward shift to the political centre, especially in his execution of the Disengagement Plan, alienated him from some Likud supporters and fragmented the party. He faced several serious challenges to his authority shortly before his departure. The first was in March 2005, when he and Netanyahu proposed a budget plan which met fierce opposition, though it was eventually approved. The second was in September 2005, when Sharon's critics in Likud forced a vote on a proposal for an early leadership election, which was defeated by 52% to 48%. In October, Sharon's opponents within the Likud Knesset faction joined with the opposition to prevent the appointment of two of his associates to the Cabinet, demonstrating that Sharon had effectively lost control of the Knesset and that the 2006 budget was unlikely to pass.

The next month, Labour announced its withdrawal from Sharon's governing coalition following its election of the left wing Amir Peretz as leader. On 21 November 2005, Sharon announced he would be leaving Likud and forming a new centrist party, Kadima, and that elections would take place in early 2006. As of 21 November seven candidates had declared themselves as contenders to replace Sharon as leader: Netanyahu, Uzi Landau, Shaul Mofaz, Yisrael Katz, Silvan Shalom and Moshe Feiglin. Landau and Mofaz later withdrew, the former in favour of Netanyahu and the latter to join Kadima.

Under Netanyahu again

Netanyahu went on to win the Likud Party Chairman elections in December, obtaining 44.4% of the vote. Shalom came in a second with 33%, leading Netanyahu to guarantee him second place on the party's list of Knesset candidates. Shalom's perceived moderation on social and foreign-policy issues were considered to be an electoral asset. Observors noted that voter turnout in the elections was particularly low in comparison with past primaries, with less than 40 percent of the 128,000 party members casting ballots. There was some media focus on far-right candidate Moshe Feiglin achieving 12.4% of votes.

The founding of Kadima is a major challenge to the Likud's generation-long status as one of Israel's two major parties. Sharon's perceived centrist policies have drawn considerable popular support as reflected by public opinion polls. The Likud is now led by figures who oppose further unilateral evacuations, and its standing in the polls has suffered. After the founding of Kadima, Likud came to be seen as having more of a right-wing tendency than a moderate centre-right one. However there exist several parties in the knesset which are more right wing that the post-Ariel Sharon Likud.

In the 2006 election, the Likud vote collapsed in the face of the split with Kadima and Netanyahu's highly unpopular neoliberal policies, resulting in stronger challenges from other right-wing nationalist parties. Likud shared with the religious Shas the third and fourth places in the popular vote, behind Kadima and Labour; it lost 28 seats and was able to secure only 12 seats, its lowest point since Gahal was created 41 years ago. Netanyahu called the result "a heavy blow", but expressed his desire to continue to lead the Likud until "better days" would come.

Active:
* Moshe Feiglin (leader of the Manhigut Yehudit faction)
* Moshe Katsav (currently President of Israel)
* Uzi Landau
* David Levy

Past figures (deceased, retired or left Likud):
* Menachem Begin (1913 - 1992) ; former prime minister
* Geula Cohen
* Zeev Jabotinsky (1880 - 1940)
* Shaul Mofaz (former Ramatkal (Chief of the General Staff) in the Israeli Defence Forces and currently Defense Minister)
* Moshe Shamir (1921 - 2004) ; author, playwright
* Yitzhak Shamir ; former prime minister
* Ezer Weizman ; former President of Israel
* Ariel Sharon ; former Prime Minister and former Likud party leader (September 1999 - November 2005)
* Ehud Olmert ; currently Prime Minister of Israel

See also: List of Likud Knesset Members

References

External links

*Likud - Official website
*Likud of Holland
*All the Israeli political parties.
*Likud definition, Israel news lexicon, ynetnews

Likud: Encyclopedia BETA

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