The Green Party המפלגה הירוקה | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Stav Shaffir[1] |
| Chairperson | Yael Cohen Paran |
| Founders | Eran Ben-Yemini,Alon Tal |
| Founded | 2008 (2008) |
| Ideology | Green politics[2][3] Green Zionism[4][5] Animal rights Environmentalism |
| Political position | Centre-left[6][7] toleft-wing[8] |
| National affiliation | Green Movement–Meimad (2009) Democratic Union (2019–2020) |
| International affiliation | Aytzim |
| Slogan | Choosing Life |
| Seats inKnesset | 0 / 120 |
| Most MKs | 1 (2015) |
| Election symbol | |
| ה | |
| Website | |
| hayeruka.org.il | |
TheGreen Party (Hebrew:המפלגה הירוקה,HaMiflaga HaYeruka), formerly theGreen Movement, is asocial-environmental movement andpolitical party inIsrael.[9][10] After briefly considering running independently in the2020 Israeli legislative election, the party decided against it, realizing they had little to no chance of passing the 3.25% threshold needed to enter the Knesset.Stav Shaffir, the party's leader, urged supporters to vote for a left leaning party to help defeatBenjamin Netanyahu.[11]
The Green Movement (Hebrew:התנועה הירוקה,HaTnuʿa HaYeruka) was founded in the summer of 2008 by environmental activists such as Rami Livni and Shay Golub. It was led byEran Ben-Yemini andAlon Tal.[10] It soon formed a political party, and ran a joint list withMeimad, a dovish religious party, for the2009 elections, after Meimad had ended its alliance with theLabor Party.[12] Meimad leaderMichael Melchior headed its list, and Ben-Yemini and Tal came in second and third place; formerShinui MKMeli Polishook-Bloch was also on its list, in eleventh place.[13] In addition to the environment, the electoral slate's platform addressed issues of education, social democracy, religious pluralism, and co-existence.[10] The campaign downplayed religious issues, and emphasized environmental questions.[14] The alliance failed to win any seats in the Knesset after failing to pass theelection threshold, receiving the largest number of votes of any party not to do so.
It contested the2013 elections in an alliance withTzipi Livni's party,Hatnua. Party leaderAlon Tal was given the 13th spot on the party list. However, Hatnua only won 6 mandates. Following the election, there was a new leadership elected, withYael Cohen Paran replacing Tal as co-chair.
It ran in the2015 elections on a jointZionist Union list withHatnua and theLabor Party.Tzipi Livni chose Green Movement co-chairYael Cohen Paran for the 25th spot (reserved for Hatnuah members) on the list.[15] Paran missed out on being elected, but entered the Knesset following the resignation of another list member in November 2015.
Within the Knesset, the Movement's main focus is on toxicpollution in Haifa Bay and its effects on nearby neighbourhoods. Another focus is on air pollution. Paran is heading a parliamentary inquiry on renewable energy, pioneered a study on Israel becoming carbon-free, and is introducing legislation to require solar systems in high-rise buildings.
Prior to theSeptember 2019 electionsStav Shaffir left the Israeli Labor Party after losing theleadership election toAmir Peretz. She joined the Green Movement, becoming its new leader. The party subsequently joined theDemocratic Union alliance for the elections, receiving the 2nd and 8th spots on its list.[16] Shaffir was elected to the Knesset as the alliance won four seats.
After a 2020 snap election was announced,Meretz decided to create an electoral pact with theLabor Party without the Greens.
In the build-up to the2020 elections, the party was renamed the Green Party.[17]
The party's principles, as laid out by its website, are:[18][19]
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Eran Ben-Yemini | 27,737 (#13) In alliance withMeimad) | 0.82 | 0 / 120 | New | Extraparliamentary |
| 2013 | Alon Tal | Ran on theHatnua list | 0 / 120 |  0 | Extraparliamentary | |
| 2015 | Yael Cohen Paran | Part of theZionist Union | 1 / 120 |  1 | Opposition | |
| April 2019 | Ran on theLabor Party list | 0 / 120 |  1 | Extraparliamentary | ||
| September 2019 | Stav Shaffir | Part of theDemocratic Union | 1 / 120 | 1 | Snap election | |
| 2020 | Did not contest | Extraparliamentary | ||||
| Leader | Took office | Left office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg) | Eran Ben-Yemini | 2008 | 2010 |
| 2 | .jpg) | Alon Tal | 2010 | 2013 |
| 3 | .jpg) | Yael Cohen Paran | 2013 | 2019 |
| 4 |  | Stav Shaffir | 2019 | Incumbent |
Green party representatives from 88 countries, including three from Israel, gathered this month in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the Second Global Greens Congress.... Hadas Shachnai of the Green Party, who represented Israel along with Mosi Raz of Meretz and environmental activistEran Binyamini.
The Green Movement has sought to represent a deep commitment to clean politics, direct democracy, and social justice. It had created a precedent by electing two co-chairs, a man and a woman, as is the practice in the German Green Party.
One must also be familiar with the many efforts and organizations that sought to make the Zionist pursuit a more gentle one for the land, resources, and creatures of Israel... If the ingenuity, determination, and emotional power of the Zionist dream is at the heart of Israeli environmental problems, it is also true that a newly modernized, environmentally sensitive Zionism has the power to solve them. The Zionist view of the natural world and how it was manifested in pre-State Israel, therefore, offers a natural starting point to begin Israel's environmental history.
Meimad contested the 2009 poll in alliance with the new Green Movement, a social-environmental party recently established under the leadership of Eran BEN-YAMINI and Al TAL.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help) Presented at the workshop Anti-Politics: Citizens, Politics and the Political Profession, Jerusalem, 17–19 December 2008.Shaffir came in on the Green Party ticket (which until then was known as the Green Movement) and brought Cohen Paran with her.
