Likud Party

Likud is a right-wing party that was formed in 1973 from the union of the two parties Hirut and Azadegan (that earlier they formed Group Hirut - Azadegan or Gahel), the two little parties of Free Center and the official list and some workers' groups that had already been affiliated to "the whole Israel country" movement. The party was formed by suggestion of Gen. Sharon, who shortly before the Knesset elections in 1973, resigned from the military and joined the Azadegan party. From the early formation of the Likud Party, Hirut Party led by Menachem Begin had the most power and could finally defeat other parties and swallow and digest them in itself. This happened in 1985 when the constituent parties of Likud agreed to the dissolution of their independent organizations, and agreed to merge in a united party that was Hirut Party.
The purpose of the Likud Party was to gather all the right-wing parties of the Israel in a campaign - parliamentary group in order to omit Labor Party and to handle the power and implementing the political and economic programs by the right-wings. New-founded Likud Party failed in the elections of 1973 and could not fulfill the aim. However, in this election, the position of the Labor Party had been severely shaken as a result of the October War in 1973, but in the 1977 elections, the Likud Party could overcome the labor movement and for the first time in Israel's history, it could control the power in the state. The party formed cabinet of Israel from 1977 to 1981 by coalition with religious parties (and participation of the democratic movement for change) and from 1981 to 1984, with coalition with religious and right-wing parties, and during this period it began massive operations of making settlements in the West Bank. Likud party's coming to power in 1977 election was described as "political coup", and it ran a coup in the economic field as well. But following the elections of 1984 and 1988 and the creation of relatively equal situation between the right-wing national-religious camp and the leftists' camp, Likud Party was forced to form national unity cabinet with the participation of the workers. However, in the 1992 elections, Likud did not win the majority of the votes and inevitably it gave the power to its rival, the Labor Party, and joined the ranks of opponents of the government.
In the last parliamentary elections (1992), most brilliant points of evectional program of Likud Party in the field of foreign and security policy were: the permanent and undoubtedly right of the Jews to live together with peace and security in the so-called land of Israel; the right of Israeli State for sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza strip, and it will continue to fulfill the goal. Likud Part will approve and follow the Camp David agreements if it is elected and can form a government. Authority organization that is referred in the Camp David agreement is guarantor of integrity of Western Israel and lack of formation of a Palestinian independent state inside it. Organizations of the mentioned government does not mean self-determination and having sovereign or creation of an independent Palestinian state. Likud's attempts are to resume negotiations with the aim of reaching an agreement in the field of Palestinian Authority organizations of Arabs living in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza Strip and apparently Israel does not want Lebanon, and the Israeli army will remain in occupied strip of southern Lebanon to provide regional security of Galilee region. Jerusalem is the indivisible capital of Israel which has full sovereignty of Israel over the Golan Heights, and according to the approval of the Knesset tenth (proposed by the cabinet of the time led by Likud Party) is applying Israeli laws in the region; Likud Party will restart settlement making in the land of Israel by all power and will try to develop built settlements.
In the economic field, the Likud Party in the evectional programs called for the sale of governmental companies and agencies to legal individuals and their workers and to accelerate the sale of state's shares in banks and on Histadrut, cutting relation of workers' unions, patients' funds and retired and giving health and therapy and social affairs to government (also see: Hirut and Azadegan).
In terms of internal affairs of Likud Party, head of Menachem Begin over the party was associated with stability. Begin's firm position and his idea being the final idea in determining political policy of the Party and making important decisions was the reason for this stability. However, Begin retired from politics in 1983, and Yitzhak Shamir managed Likud, the party has faced instability and infighting in recent decades. Shamir could not strengthen his position in the party and for this reason it was divided into the three factions (Shamir - Urens front, the Sharon front and David Leevi front that was made of Oriental Jews). The leaders of the three factions started confrontation and competing over gaining power and better position and taking over the presidency of the party and this issue led to failure of the party in the 1992 parliamentary elections. Following this defeat, Urens went out of the party. In primary elections, which was held to select party's president (and his nomination for the post of prime minister) in April 1993 and with the participation of all members of the party, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was one of the prominent leaders on Shamir - Urens front, could overtake Sharon and David Leevi. But they refused Netanyahu's presidency over the party and said that they will try to dismiss him from the party's presidency until the next elections.
In late March 1995 acute differences occurred on some organizational issues between Leevi and his supporters on the one side and between Netanyahu and other leaders of the Likud Party, on the other side, and Leevi said the Likud Party is not my Home anymore and he will found a new movement to participate in the general elections of 1996 and he will be as the leader of the party and he personally will compete for the post of prime minister. Of course Leevi did not come out of parliamentary group of the party in the Knesset according to an agreement with Likud leader. Leevi had the support of many Oriental Jews who were Likud members in his actions and many observers predict that Leevi will announce his split from Likud Party and formation of the new movement before the 1996 elections and at the right time.
Likud Party's electoral base is formed of heterogeneous mixture of the rich, the middle class and the poor. Fans and supporters of Likud party are mostly from citizens of the Eastern tribes who are in lower levels in terms of income, culture and social status. In the national and local elections usually a high percentage of voters in three major cities of Israel, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, and the majority of people in the developing cities (residents of the cities are Oriental Jews) vote the Likud Party. In addition, a substantial number of Jewish religious people with extreme sectarian tendencies vote the Likud Party.
Organizational structure of Likud Party is made of Congress (3500 members in 1994) as the highest organ of the Party, Central Committee (of the same members of Congress, but in the name of the Central Committee), the political office (400 members) and Secretariat (61 members). In recent years, the Likud party has accepted primary elections system to elect the party president and nomination for prime minister, candidates for the Knesset, local government officials, members of Congress and members of the party in different cities.
Number of seats of the party in different periods of the Knesset, the eighth Knesset (1973) was 39 seats, the ninth Knesset (1977) was 43 seats, the tenth Knesset (1981) was 48 seats, the eleventh Knesset (1984) was 41 seats, the twelfth Knesset (1988) was 40 seats and the thirteenth Knesset (1992) was 32 seats.
Now we briefly introduce one of the major parties forming the Likud:
1. Hirut: Hirut (freedom) is an extremist right-wing party that was founded in 1948 to coincide with announcement of the Israeli government installations by Eitel Organization (ethnic military organization) under the command of General Menachem Begin. After formation of this party, the organization dissolved itself and other military organizations and extremist right-wing groups, which were active before the Israeli installations, joined the party.
While the Eitel organization in terms of thought and organization was born from reform movement that was founded in 1925 by Vladimir Chaptnsky, by formation of Hirut party, the leaders of this party ignored the Reform Party, which at that time was in Israel, and chose not to cooperate with it. In the 1949 elections, the two parties participated separately. Hirut Party and the Reform Party united with each other in 1950, but in 1951, the leaders of the reformist party separated Hirut Party.
In 1966, Hirut Party faced with a split. In that year, a number of party members, including three members of the Knesset, led by Shmuel Temir oppose Begin about how he managed affairs of the party. The number founded "the Free Center" Party in 1967. In 1965 Hirut with the participation of the Azadegan Group formed "Gahal". In 1973, the two parties, including the parties "official list" and "Free Center" and a group of "the movement of whole land of Israel" formed Likud group. In both groups, Gahal and Likud, Hirut party had the most power in control.
in the electoral programs of the fifties until the middle of the Sixties and in the field of foreign and security policy Hirut demanded "integration of Israel territory in its historic borders" (including some lands located on the East shore of the Jordan River) to implement active military policy against Arab countries in order to calm the borders and prevent Palestinian guerrilla operations. In terms of economic and social issues, Hirut called for the realization of economies based on individual actions and open competition and alternating economic system based on three private, Histadrut, and public sectors by a national economy in which all the elements are combined and follow a united law. The other demand of the party in the field of economic and social issues was separating the theoretical and practical-economic plans of Histadrut and its role as a worker union and transferring ownership of the project to cooperative unions which are made for this purpose. Hirut also called for nationalization and cutting connection of patients' funds and pension funds from Histadrut and its integration into health care and social services that the state offers, and in terms of the relationship between religion and government, the party stressed the need to respect the values of Judaism.
Number of seats of the Hirut party (till before integration with Likud) during different periods of the Knesset: the first Knesset (1949) 14 seats, the second Knesset (1951) 8 seats, the third Knesset (1955) 15 seats, the fourth Knesset (1959) 17 seats, the fifth Knesset (1961) 17 seats; the sixth Knesset (1965) 15 seats (out of 26 seats from Gahal group); the seventh Knesset (1969) 15 seats (out of 26 seats from Gahal group).