Rats Party and Shinui Party

Rats Party

Rats (list of the rights of citizens) is a reformist Zionist party that was formed in the eve of the eighth Knesset elections (1973) by a group of former members of the Labor Party led by Shulamith Eloni. Eloni was previously a member of the Labor Party, but due to differences with the party's leader, Golda Meir, and Israeli Prime Minister, his name was not mentioned on the electoral list for the Labor Party for the eighth Knesset elections and this led Eloni to withdraw from the party. Another reason for Eloni's withdraw from the Labor Party was that leader of the party refused to dissolve "Selected Committee" which was in charge of selecting candidates for parliamentary elections and adopt a better way to do this action.
In the eighth Knesset elections and by the surprise of everyone, the Rats party won three seats in the Knesset, while only a few months had passed from its formation. In 1975, the Rats Party joined another group from the Labor Party led by Luffa Aliaf and another group from Shinui party and formed a new party called Yaed (i.e. the target). However, the new-formed party did not last long and in the same year it was dissolved due to disagreement over the relationship with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and presence of Aliaf and a number of party members in the Council of Israel for peace between Israel and Palestine, and on the eve of the 1992 election, parties Rats, Mapam and Shinoi aimed to unify the forces of peace in Israel which were more leftist than labor party and they made a coalition with each other and created Rats group.
In terms of domestic issues, the Rats Party has emphasized on dealing with religious algebra and defending basic human rights as it is said in the Declaration of Human Rights and it called for the separation of religion from politics and legislation that establishes equality between all citizens, regardless of religion, ethnicity, race, or gender. With regard to foreign and security policy, it is calling for the immediate cessation of settlement activity and withdraw from most of the occupied territories against peace. It also believes in running a series of decisive measures to meet Israel's security and to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people for self-determination and respecting any decision that this nation makes for its future (see the electoral program of Meretz).
Party Center and electoral base of Rats Party is general made by of Ashkenazi, educated, liberal, prosperous and generally positive urban ranks and it is highly accepted among young people.
In the current coalition Cabinet (mid-1994), three members of the party including Shulamith Eloni, and Ron Cohen and Yossi Serid are participating within the framework of Meretz Group.
Number of seats of the party in different periods of the Knesset: the eighth Knesset (1973) 3 seats, the ninth Knesset (1977) 1 seat; the tenth Knesset (1981) 1 seat; the eleventh Knesset (1984) 3 seats (by Yossi Serid going out of labor party and joining the Rats, this number increased to 4 seats); the twelfth Knesset (1988) 5 seats and in the Thirteen Knesset (1992) 5 seats (out of 12 seats of Meretz).

Shinui Party

Shinui (Moderate Party) is a liberal Zionist party that was formed in 1974 by suggestion of a number of characters including Amnon Rubenstein and Mordecai Fearshobsky. The party arose when major protests were done in Israel against the results of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and the state ignoring any responsibility in this regard and blaming military forces.
Shinui Party's founders believed that the root of the problem are from the dangerous shortcomings of military, political, administrative and social system of Israel and to address it they drafted a political program involving several principles, which is still on the basis of the activities of the party. The most important principles of the program are: starting talks with neighboring Arab countries to find a regional moderate solution in the Middle; reforming the electoral system to ensure the responsibility of representatives for the voters; democratization of parties and legislation to monitor their performance; development of a constitution to guarantee basic rights of citizens; the least intervention of the government in economic activities, the establishment of the rule of law and the responsibility of individuals for what they do and the hiring and promoting of governmental employees solely on based being merit and their functions; reforming Israel's educational system to create similar opportunities for all citizens and filling social gaps due to reforming financial system and wages and reorganization of health and social services (see electoral program of Meretz .(
Shinui Party participated in formation of democracy movement for change led by Yefal Yadin, the Israeli armed forces' former chief, in late 1976. The movement in the ninth Knesset elections (1977) won 15 seats in the Knesset and after some hesitation, it participated in the right-wing cabinet headed by Menachem Begin that was formed after these elections. But the movement did not last long and collapsed in 1987 following the Shinui Party and several other founders going out of it as well as leaving the coalition cabinet.
Shinui Party independently did activities for a while that was called Shinui Fiuzmah and changed its name since 1980 to Shinui- Mefliget Hamerkaz (Moderate Party). On the eve of the 1992 elections, it formed Meretz group with Mapam and Rats.
Party Center and elections base of Shinui party was formed of some segments of the middle class in big cities and the party enjoyed support of owners of big businesses and academics.
The party has one representative in the current coalition cabinet (mid-1994). This person is Amnon Rubenstein and his presence in the cabinet is within the framework of the Meretz group.
The number of seats of the party in different periods of the Knesset: the ninth Knesset (1977) 5 seats (first in the framework of the democratic movement for change and then independently after getting out of this movement); the Tenth Knesset (1981) 2 seats; in the eleventh Knesset (1984) 3 seats; the twelfth Knesset (1988) 2 seats and the thirteenth Knesset (1992) 3 seats (out of 12 seats of Meretz).

Yahadut HaTorah party

Yahadut HaTorah (Jews of Torah) is a campaign - parliamentary and religious group that was formed in 1992 by a coalition of parties Aghudat Israel and Dyghel HaTorah (the two parties are representatives of those Ashkenazi Jews who are now known as Haredi Judaism, i.e. the fundamentalists). Aghudat Israel and Dyghl HaTorah party have agreed to try to merge the two parties > Senior Ulema Council Torah> and provide a single electoral list for the Knesset elections. But by late 1995, the integration was not achieved. In the 1992 elections, Yahadut HaTorah won four Knesset's seats, but refused participation in the cabinet that was formed after the election held under the leadership of Yitzhak Rabin. Rabbi Menahem Shakh and Rabbis Moshe Yahushe Hajar are the most prominent religious leaders and Rabbi Abraham Shabyra, Menahem Burush, Abraham Rabyts Vshmuel Halbrn are representatives Yahadut HaTorah in the Knesset.

Dyghl HaTorah party

Dyghl HaTorah (flag of Torah) is one of the most extremist religious parties and most members are Latvian fundamentalists. The party was formed shortly before the elections in 1988 by the heads of Latvian Jews in Agudat Israel party and on the advice of Rabbi Alyyrz Shakh excellent spiritual leader of Latvian tribes and head of religious schools Bani Bvnybaj in the area of Bani Brock. The rabbi had said to Latvian Jews' heads of the tribes to separate from Agudat Israel party and form a new party. The rabbi was outraged of the issue that Agudat Israel party's leaders (often from sects of Hasydyh) instead of condemnation and excommunication of Hasydyh Hbad's leaders, established a strong relationship with them.
Followers of Hbad sect believe that Rabbi Men Lobafych Menahem Mendel Shaniusun, spiritual leader of the sect that lived in New York, is the < Promised Savior >.
In the 1988 parliamentary elections, the Dyghl HaTorah party won two seats in the Knesset. However, shortly before the 1992 elections, the Dyghl HaTorah party made coalition with Agudat Israel, and the two parties formed the Yahadut HaTorah parliamentary group. They had agreed that after the mentioned elections they would fully integrate. What helped to fill the gap between the two parties was the same idea of the two parties on the need for unity of Ashkenazi fundamentalists (due to the presence of a powerful rival such as Shas as a representative of the Eastern fundamentalists) and to increase the votes quorum for entering the Knesset. In addition, by exacerbation of illness of rabbi Man Lobafych (spiritual leader of the Hbad sect) thoughts of followers of this sect were focused on his disease and they abandoned Agudat Israel party and in general policy and this led to forgetting the rootless issue of the < Promised Savior > which was the main difference between the two parties of Agudat Israel and Dyghl HaTorah (it should be noted that the aforementioned rabbi died in 1994).
On the occupied territories and the Palestinian problem, Dyghl HaTorah has a more moderate viewpoints compared with Agudat Israel. Abraham Rafyts, leader of Dyghl HaTorah, in an article published shortly after the 1988 elections in the newspaper Jorselim posts, not only agreed to withdraw from some occupied territories, but with the establishment of a disarmament nation of the Palestinians in the lands stated that he is ready to respect the flag of the country.