Meretz Party and Mapam Party

Meretz Party
A parliamentary evectional group made up of parties: Mobam, Rats and Shino which was established in May 1992, on the eve of the thirteenth Knesset elections that was held in that year. Meretz word that means happiness and vitality is composed of the first letter of the Mobam and the two first and last letters of the word Rats. At first Meretz was the group's campaign slogan and then it was referred to the group.
The main objective of the formation of Meretz was integration of Jewish peace groups that have more leftist tendencies than the Labor Party. The groups united with each other in the hope of achieving more seats in Knesset and thus increasing the chances of success of the left-wing camp in the abandonment of the Likud Party from power and replacement of the Labor Party instead of it, and they also achieved what they wanted. Similarity of views of three mentioned parties towards political issues paved the way for their unity with each other, although on economic and social issues, three Parties of Socialist Mebay, liberal Shinui and moderate Rats have many differences with each other.
In the last parliamentary elections (in 1992) political program of Meretz group included serious tips:
- the recognition of "rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination in areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip" by Israel.
- respecting the decision of the Palestinian people on self-determination "whether for a federal or confederation unite with Jordan or in direction to establish an independent Palestinian state, which for security reasons " confederation union with Jordan" is preferred.
- not knowing participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) denied in peace negotiations after in word and deed it proves that it has recognized Israel and it has stopped the terrorist operations.
- being step by step; finding a final solution to the problems between Israel on the one hand and the Palestinians and Arab states on the other, and at the first step formation of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied territories is considered a positive thing provided that it is perfect and prepares final solution,.
- the immediate cessation of settlement building.
- Israel's preparation for a logical moderate solution and agreeing on the Golan.
- tight security arrangements and complete and total disarmament of the areas that they would withdrawal from them.
- capital of Israel being indivisible (Jerusalem).
In determining the final status of the city, as it will be specified in a peace treaty, all religious and racial issues of city should be considered.
In the field of economic and social issues, the parties constituent Meretz group have agreed that their representatives in the Knesset each will act according to the favorable party.
Shulamith Eloni, Rats' Party leader, is head of Meretz group in terms of organization. Meretz does its collaborative activities through its representatives in the Knesset and the formation of several joint committees. Slogan of representatives of the three constituent groups of Meretz Party in mentioned committees will be determined with regard to the number of their representatives in the twelfth Knesset.
Mapam Party
Mapam (the United Labor Party) is a Zionist Socialist Party which arose in 1948 by Alliance of two Zionist Labor parties: Hashumyer Htssyr and Ahdot Hesuda - Bualy Tesion. The two parties compared to the Mebay Party had more leftist desires, plus several left-wing minor groups and a number of the characters and at the top Moshe Sineh, general commander of the Haganah in the middle of the Forties unified and formed Mapam party.
The Union was not successful because differences emerged around it fast. The disputes were about: the stance against the Soviet Union, retaliatory military operations against neighboring Arab countries (in retaliation for guerrilla operations in Palestine) and accepting membership of Arab citizens in the party and Histadrut. Over time, the differences increased sharply as in 1953, it led to separation of a small group which was strongly pro-Soviet led by Moshe Sineh; and in 1954, most of the members of Ahdot Hafoad - Bualy Tesion Party excluded Mapam party. Objection to sympathy of the Party for the Soviet Union was party opposition to political with policy of revenge act against Arab countries and agreement on its leadership with accepting membership of Arab citizens in the party and Histadrut were reasons for the issue. In 1969, Mapam party joined MeRakah (= assembly of workers) by leadership of the Labor Party but in 1984 it withdrew the assembly and in 1992, together with the accumulation of Ertz and Shinui, formed Meretz group. *
In terms of political and ideology behavior, history the Mapam Party can be divided into three stages: the first stage is from beginning of formation to 1969, the second stage is since joining the MeRakah to withdraw from it, and the third stage is since withdraw from MeRakah so far.
In the first stage (1948-1969), the Mapam party focused on innovative ideas of Pear Brokhoph (from socialist-oriented Zionist thinkers) in order to create a convergence between Zionism and Marxism. With this idea, party demanded gathering of Jews in Palestine and the creation of non-class socialist society through peaceful confrontation between classes, and full cooperation between Jewish workers' classes and Arabs and domination of workers the means of production. During this stage or most of the stage the characteristic of party political positions, strong opposition to all internal and external policies and behavior Mapam Party was the party's Arab minority. In addition, the Party's policy Mebay based on the cooperation of all classes disagreeing with each other, and the party for the first count liberal parties and religious leftist parties to form a government coalition sharply criticized the economic policies of the party Mebay and opposed the support of the party for the economic foundation based on cooperation between the three public, private and Histadrut sections and delegating many of the tasks that were previously performed by the working class. It disapproved official governmental institutions and knew it in contrast with founding a socialist society. It was opposed to Mebay party's foreign policy which supported the West and opposed the Soviet Union, and it also did not accept security policies of this party against the Arab countries. It opposed with discrimination and inequality and the imposition of rules of curfew on Arabs living in Israel and rejecting their members in the Zionist parties and Histadrut.
In the second stage (1969-1984) and following 1967 Arab-Israeli war [6-day war], the Mapam party reviewed its intellectual positions and got away from Marxism and got close to the Labor Party intellectually and politically, although it had a greater tendency to socialism and defending the rights of workers and poor classes of society and in dealing with the Palestinian issue and the Arab states, it showed a more willing and better position for realization of peace. However, by the Mapam Party joining MeRakah at early times of this stage, the party lost its distinctive identity and position and in fact, it was dissolved in the identity and position of the Labor Party and it was almost unable to affect on important issues.
In the third stage, from 1984 (the year that exited from MeRakah) so far, the Mapam Party seek independent identity and wanted to play a distinct role from the role of Labor Party in the field of political issues. The party emphasizes on social issues, gives opinions on the occupied territories, settlements building, Palestinians' rights and peace with Arab countries (refer to electoral program of Meretz) and focus on equality between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and it is trying to draw new and different line from labor party.
Mapam Party in terms of the base of the elections is currently representative of the interests and aspirations of the members of the kibbutz movement affiliated to the Mapam Party and a certain classes of workers and intellectuals that the social and political program of Mapam party had dragged them to the party. Mapam party did not have a widespread electoral base and the majority of voters to the party was from Ashkenazim (Western Jews). Mapam party in the first Knesset (1949) had 19 representatives, but at the twelfth Knesset (1998), this number was reduced to three.
The organizational structure of the Mapam party is composed of: the Congress, as the highest organ of decision-making in the party, a council of elected members of Congress, which perform their duties in the distance of the two sessions of Congress, the Central Committee, the political Committee and the Secretariat.
In the current coalition Cabinet (mid-1994) the only member of the party is the cabinet, Yayyrtesban (in the framework of the campaign - parliamentary Meretz).
Number of seats of the party in different periods of the Knesset: The first Knesset (1949) 15 seats, the second Knesset (1951) 9 seats, the third Knesset (1955) 9 seats, the fourth Knesset (1959) 9 seats, the fifth Knesset (1961) 9 seats, the sixth Knesset (1965) 8 seats, the seventh Knesset (1969) 9 seats (out of 56 seats of MeRakah); the eighth Knesset (1973) 8 seats (out of 51 seats of MeRakah); the ninth Knesset (1977) 5 seats (out of 32 seats in MeRakah), the tenth Knesset (1981) 7 seats (out of 47 seats of MeRakah); the eleventh Knesset (1984) 6 seats (out of 44 seats of MeRakah), the twelfth Knesset (1988) 3 seats and in the Thirteenth Knesset (1992) 4 seats ( out of the total 12 seats of Meretz)