In 2001 Likud'sAriel Sharon, who replaced Netanyahu following the 1999 election, defeated Barak in anelection called by the prime minister following his resignation. After the party recorded a convincing win in the2003 elections, Likud saw a major split in 2005 when Sharon left to form theKadima party. This resulted in Likud slumping to fourth place in the2006 elections and losing 28 seats in the Knesset. Following the2009 elections, Likud was able to gain 15 seats, and, with Netanyahu back in control of the party, formed a coalition with fellow right-wing partiesYisrael Beiteinu andShas to take control of the government from Kadima, which earned a plurality, but not a majority. Netanyahu served as prime minister from then until 2021. Likud had been the leading vote-getter in each subsequent election untilApril 2019, when Likud tied withBlue and White[27] andSeptember 2019, when Blue and White won one more seat than the Likud.[28] Likud won the most seats at the2020[29] and2021 elections, but Netanyahu was removed from power in June 2021 by an unprecedented coalition led byYair Lapid andNaftali Bennett.[30][31] He subsequently returned to the office of prime minister after winning the2022 election.[32]
A member of the party is called aLikudnik (Hebrew:לִכּוּדְנִיק)[33] and the party's election symbol isמחל (Arabic:محل), reflecting the party's origins as anelectoral list of several pre-existing parties, including those who used the symbolsמ,ח andל.[34]
History
Formation and leadership of Begin
The Likud was formed on 13 September 1973 as asecular party[35][36] by an alliance of several right-wing parties prior to that year'slegislative election—Herut, theLiberal Party, theFree Centre, theNational List, and theMovement for Greater Israel. Herut had been the nation's largest right-wing party since growing out of theIrgun in 1948. It had already been in coalition with the Liberals since 1965 asGahal, with Herut as the senior partner. Herut remained the senior partner in the new grouping, which was given the name Likud, meaning "Consolidation", as it represented the consolidation of the Israeli right.[37] It worked as a coalition under Herut's leadership until 1988, when the member parties merged into a single party under the Likud name.[38] From its establishment in 1973, Likud enjoyed great support from blue-collarSephardim.[39]
In its first election Likud won 39 seats, reducing the Alignment's lead to 12.[40] The party went on to win the1977 election with 43 seats, finishing 11 seats ahead of the Alignment.Menachem Begin formeda government with the support of the religious parties, consigning the left wing to opposition for the first time since independence.[41] A former leader of the hard-line paramilitaryIrgun,[42] Begin signed the 1978Camp David Accords[43] and the 1979Egypt–Israel peace treaty.[44] In the1981 election, the Likud won 48 seats, but formed anarrower government than in 1977.[45]
Likud has long been a loose alliance between politicians committed to different and sometimes opposing policy preferences and ideologies.[46][47] The 1981 election highlighted divisions that existed between the populist wing of Likud, headed byDavid Levy of Herut, and the Liberal wing,[48] who represented a policy agenda of the secular bourgeoisie.[46]
Barak's government collapsed in December 2000,[70] several months after theCamp David Summit ended without an agreement,[71] andearly elections for Prime Minister were called for February 2001, in which Sharon decisively defeated Barak.[72] In 2002 Netanyahu challenged Sharon in aleadership election, but was defeated.[73][unreliable source?] During Sharon's tenure, Likud faced an internal split due to Sharon's policy ofunilateral disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, which proved extremely divisive within the party.[74]
Sharon and Kadima split
Sharon'sDisengagement Plan alienated him from some Likud supporters and fragmented the party.[75] He faced several serious challenges to his authority shortly before his departure. The first was in March 2005, when he and Netanyahu, then his finance minister, proposed a budget plan that met fierce opposition from the opposition and parties to the Likud's right. The plan passed the Knesset's finance committee by a one-vote margin,[76] before being approved by the Knesset by a wider margin later that month.[77] The second was in September 2005, when Sharon's critics in the Likud, led by Netanyahu, forced a vote in the Likud's central committee on a proposal for an early leadership election, which was defeated by 52% to 48%.[78] In November, Sharon's opponents within the Likud joined with the opposition to prevent the appointment of three of his associates to the Cabinet, successfully preventing the appointment of two.[79]
On 20 November 2005Labor announced its withdrawal from Sharon's governing coalition following theelection of the left-wingAmir Peretz as its leader.[80] On 21 November 2005, Sharon announced he would be leaving the Likud and forming a new centrist party,Kadima.[81][82] The new party included both Likud and Labor supporters of unilateral disengagement. Sharon also announced that anelection would take place in early 2006. Seven candidates had declared themselves as contenders to replace Sharon as leader: Netanyahu,[83]Uzi Landau,[84]Shaul Mofaz,[85]Yisrael Katz,[86]Silvan Shalom andMoshe Feiglin.[87] Landau and Mofaz later withdrew, the former in favour of Netanyahu[88] and the latter to join Kadima.[89]
Netanyahu's second term
Netanyahu went on to win aleadership election to replace Sharon in December, obtaining 44.4% of the vote. Shalom came in a second with 33%, while far-right candidateMoshe Feiglin achieved 12.4% of the vote.[90][91] Due to Shalom's performance, Netanyahu guaranteed him the second place on the party's list of Knesset candidates.[92] Polls before the 2006 election showed a substantial reduction in the Likud's support, with Kadima achieving a dominant polling lead.[93]
In January 2006 Sharon suffered a stroke that left him in a vegetative state, leading to his replacement as Kadima leader by Ehud Olmert,[94] who led Kadima to victory in the election, winning 29 seats. The Likud experienced a substantial loss in support, coming in fourth place and winning only 12, while other right-wing nationalist parties such asYisrael Beiteinu, which came within 116 votes of overtaking Likud, gained votes.[95][96] After the election, Netanyahu was re-elected Likud Leader in2007, defeating Feiglin and World Likud ChairmanDanny Danon.[97][98]
Following the opening of several criminal investigations against Olmert,[99] he resigned as prime minister on 21 September 2008 and retired from politics.[100] In theensuing snap election, held in 2009, Likud won 27 seats, the second-largest number of seats and one seat less than Kadima, now led byTzipi Livni. However, Likud's allies won enough seats to allow Netanyahu to form a government, which included Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu,Shas,United Torah Judaism,The Jewish Home, and Labor.[101][102] Labor left the coalition in 2011 after party leader Ehud Barak left to form his own party,Independence, that remained a member of Netanyahu's government.[103] The next year, Netanyahu wasre-elected as Likud leader, defeating Moshe Feiglin.[104] Kadima then joined the coalition in May 2012 before leaving in July.[105] Following Kadima's withdrawal from the government and amid disagreements related to the 2013 budget, the Knesset was dissolved in October 2012 and asnap election was called for January 2013.[106]
Partnership with Yisrael Beitenu and 2015 election
Several days after the election was called on 25 October 2012, Netanyahu and Yisrael Beitenu leaderAvigdor Lieberman announced that their respective political parties would run together on a single ballot in the election under the nameLikud Yisrael Beiteinu.[107] The move led to speculation that Lieberman would eventually seek the leadership of Likud after he stated that he "wanted to become the Prime Minister".[108] Several days before the election, Lieberman said the parties would not merge, and that their direct partnership would end after the election.[109] The partnership ultimately lasted until July 2014, when it officially dissolved.[110]
In the 2013 elections the Likud–Yisrael Beiteinu alliance won 31 seats, 20 of which were Likud members.[111] The second largest party,Yair Lapid'sYesh Atid, won 19.[112] Netanyahu continued as prime minister after forming a coalition with Yesh Atid, the Jewish Home, andHatnuah.[113] The government collapsed in December 2014 due to disagreements over the budget and the proposedNation-state bill,[114][115] triggering asnap election the next year.[116]
Likud won the 2015 election, defeating theZionist Union, an alliance of Labor and Hatnuah, winning 30 seats to the Zionist Union's 24.[117] The party subsequently formed a government with United Torah Judaism, Shas,Kulanu, and the Jewish Home.[118] In May 2016, Yisrael Beitenu joined the government,[119] before leaving in December 2018, causing Netanyahu to call a snap election forApril 2019.[120]
During theSeptember 2019 Israeli legislative election campaign, Likud agreed to a deal withZehut, whereby the latter party would drop out of the election and endorse Likud in exchange for a ministerial post for its leader,Moshe Feiglin, as well as policy concessions.[123]
Prior to the2021 Israeli legislative election,Gesher merged into Likud, receiving a slot on its electoral list.[126] 2021 marked the first time that Likud put a Muslim on its slate, choosing Muslim school principal Nail Zoabi for 39th on its slate.[127]
Likud also facilitated the formation of a joint list between theReligious Zionist Party,Otzma Yehudit andNoam by providing the Religious Zionist Party a slot on the Likud list.[128] On 14 June, after the swearing-in of the 36th government,Ofir Sofer who held the slot, split from the Likud faction and returned to the Religious Zionist Party, decreasing the Likud faction by one to 29 seats in the Knesset.[129][130]
Likud emphasizes national security policy based on a strong military force when threatened with continued enmity against Israel. It has shown reluctance to negotiate with its neighbors whom it believes continue to seek the destruction of the Jewish state, that based on theprinciple of the party founder Menachem Begin concerning the preventive policy to any potential attacks on State of Israel. Its suspicion of neighboring Arab nations' intentions, however, has not prevented the party from reaching agreements with Israel's neighbors, such as the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt. Likud's willingness to enter mutually accepted agreements with neighboring countries over the years is related to the formation of other right-wing parties. Like other right-wing parties in Israel, Likud politicians have sometimes criticized particular Supreme Court decisions, but it remains committed to rule of law principles that it hopes to entrench in a written constitution.[24]
As of 2014[update], the party remains divided between moderates and hard-liners.[132]
Likud is considered to be the leading party in thenational camp in Israeli politics.[133]
The 1999 Likud Party platform emphasized the right of settlement:
The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting.[136]
Similarly, they claim theJordan River as the permanent eastern border to Israel and it also claims Jerusalem as belonging to Israel.
The 'Peace & Security' chapter of the 1999 Likud Party platform rejects a Palestinian state:
The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration, and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel's existence, security and national needs.[136]
With Likud back in power, starting in 2009,Israeli foreign policy is still under review. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, in his "National Security" platform, neither endorsed nor ruled out the idea of a Palestinian state.[137] According toTime, "Netanyahu has hinted that he does not oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, but aides say he must move cautiously because his religious-nationalist coalition partners refuse to give away land."[138]
However, on 16 March 2015, Netanyahu stated in the affirmative, that if he were elected, a Palestinian state would not be created.[140] Netanyahu argued, "anyone who goes to create today a Palestinian state and turns over land, is turning over land that will be used as a launching ground for attacks by Islamist extremists against the State of Israel."[140] Some take these statements to mean that Netanyahu and Likud oppose a Palestinian state. After having been criticised by U.S. White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest for the "divisive rhetoric" of his election campaign, on 19 March 2015, Netanyahu retreated to "I don't want a one-state solution. I want a peaceful, sustainable two-state solution. I have not changed my policy."[141]
The Likud Constitution[142] of May 2014 is more vague and ambiguous. Though it contains commitments to the strengthening of Jewish settlement in theWest Bank, it does not explicitly rule out the establishment of a Palestinian state.[citation needed]
Economy
The Likud party claims to support afree marketcapitalist andliberal agenda, though, in practice, it has mostly adoptedmixed economic policies. Under the guidance offinance minister and current party leaderBenjamin Netanyahu, Likud pushed through legislation reducingvalue added tax (VAT), income and corporate taxes significantly, as well ascustoms duty. Likewise, it has institutedfree trade (especially with theEuropean Union and theUnited States) and dismantled certainmonopolies (Bezeq and the seaports). Additionally, it hasprivatized numerous government-owned companies (e.g.El Al andBank Leumi), and has moved to privatize land in Israel, which until now has been held symbolically by the state in the name of theJewish people. Netanyahu was the most ardent free-market Israeli finance minister to date. He argued that Israel's largestlabor union, theHistadrut, has so much power as to be capable of paralyzing theIsraeli economy, and claimed that the main causes ofunemployment are laziness and excessive benefits to the unemployed.[citation needed] Under Netanyahu, Likud has and is likely to maintain a comparativelyfiscally conservative economic stance. However, the party's economic policies vary widely among members, with some Likud MKs supporting more leftist economic positions that are more in line with popular preferences.[143]
Palestinians
Likud has historically espoused opposition to Palestinian statehood and support ofIsraeli settlements in theWest Bank andGaza Strip. However, it has also been the party that carried out the first peace agreements with Arab states. For instance, in 1979, Likud prime ministerMenachem Begin signed theCamp David Accords withEgyptian PresidentAnwar al-Sadat, which returned theSinai Peninsula (occupied by Israel in theSix-Day War of 1967) to Egypt in return for peace between the two countries.Yitzhak Shamir was the first Israeli prime minister to meet Palestinian leaders at theMadrid Conference following thePersian Gulf War in 1991. However, Shamir refused to concede the idea of a Palestinian state, and as a result was blamed by some (includingUnited States Secretary of StateJames Baker) for the failure of the summit.[144] On 14 June 2009, as Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a speech at Bar-Ilan University in which he endorsed a "Demilitarized Palestinian State", though said that Jerusalem must remain the unified capital of Israel.[145]
In 2002, during theSecond Intifada, Israel's Likud-led government reoccupied Palestinian towns andrefugee camps in the West Bank. In 2005Ariel Sharon defied the recent tendencies of Likud and abandoned the policy of seeking to settle in the West Bank and Gaza. Though re-elected Prime Minister on a platform of no unilateral withdrawals, Sharon carried out theGaza disengagement plan, withdrawing from theGaza Strip, as well as four settlements in the northern West Bank. Though losing a referendum among Likud registered voters, Sharon achieved government approval of this policy by firing most of the cabinet members who opposed the plan before the vote.[146]
Sharon and the faction who supported his disengagement proposals left the Likud party after the disengagement and created the newKadima party. This new party supported unilateral disengagement from most of the West Bank and the fixing of borders by theIsraeli West Bank barrier. The basic premise of the policy was that the Israelis have no viable negotiating partner on the Palestinian side, and since they cannot remain in indefinite occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel should unilaterally withdraw.[147]
Netanyahu, who was elected as the new leader of Likud after Kadima's creation, andSilvan Shalom, the runner-up, both supported the disengagement plan;[148][149] however, Netanyahu resigned his ministerial post before the plan was executed. As of 2018, most Likud members supported the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and opposed Palestinian statehood and the disengagement from Gaza.[150]
Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas. This is part of our strategy – to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank.
Although settlement activity has continued under recent Likud governments, much of the activity outside the major settlement blocs has been to accommodatethe Jewish Home, a coalition partner; support within Likud to build outside the blocs is not particularly strong.[153][154]
Likud, under Netanyahu, is alleged to have intentionally propped up the rule of Hamas in Gaza as a means of dividing the Palestinians politically and using Palestinian extremism drawing the peace process away from a two-state solution.[151]
In the 2019 elections Likud was widely criticized as a "racist party" after scaremongering anti-Arab rhetoric by its members as well as Netanyahu who claimed minority Arabs and Palestinians in Israel as "threats" and "enemies".[155][156][157]
Likud generally advocates free enterprise and nationalism, but it has sometimes compromised these ideals in practice, especially as its constituency has changed. Its support for populist economic programs are at odds with its free enterprise tradition, but are meant to serve its largely nationalistic, lower-income voters in small towns and urban neighborhoods.[158][159]
Onreligion and state, Likud has a moderate stance,[159] and supports the preservation ofstatus quo. With time, the party has played into the traditional sympathies of its voter base, though the origins and ideology of Likud are secular.[160] Religious parties have come to view it as a more comfortable coalition partner than Labor.[159]
Likud promotes a revival ofJewish culture, in keeping with the principles ofRevisionist Zionism. Likud emphasizes such Israeli nationalist themes as the use of theIsraeli flag and the victory in the1948 Arab–Israeli War. In July 2018, Likud lawmakers voted a controversialNation-State bill into law which declares Israel as the "nation-state of the Jewish people".[161][162]
Likud publicly endorsespress freedom and promotion ofprivate sector media, which has grown markedly under governments Likud has led. A Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon, however, closed the popularright-wingpirate radio stationArutz Sheva ("Channel 7"). Arutz Sheva was popular with theJewish settler movement and often criticised the government from a right-wing perspective.[citation needed]
Historically, the Likud and its pre-1948 predecessor, the Revisionist movement advocated secular nationalism. However, the Likud's first prime minister and long-time leaderMenachem Begin, though secular himself, cultivated a warm attitude to Jewish tradition and appreciation for traditionally religious Jews—especially from North Africa and the Middle East. This segment of the Israeli population first brought the Likud to power in 1977. Many Orthodox Israelis find the Likud a more congenial party than any other mainstream party, and in recent years also a large group ofHaredim, mostly modern Haredim, joined the party and establishedthe Haredi faction in the Likud.[citation needed]
Foreign policy
Since the 1990s, Likud has advocated a hardline stance againstIran and its proxy militias such as the LebaneseHezbollah.[163][164]
The Likud government during the 2010s advocated closer ties withJapan,China andIndia, in order to reduce Israel's dependency on Western Europe.[171] In 2017 Netanyahu described closer Israeli alignment with China as a "marriage made in heaven".[172] Likud has also maintained connections with the ruling political party in India, theBharatiya Janata Party.[173]
Likud governments have pursued close ties with theRepublican Party in the United States, leading to a perception of preference for the Republicans over the rivalDemocratic Party.[174][175] In 2015 Netanyahu delivered an address to the Republican-heldUnited States Congress without consulting the Democratic presidential administration at the time.[176]
TheNATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 drew criticism from the Likud foreign ministerAriel Sharon, who described it as "brutal interventionism".[177] Relations betweenSerbia and Israel improved during the Netanyahu-led Likud government of the 2010s.[178] Likud has had long-term political ties to the Hungarian ruling partyFidesz, which has led to warm diplomatic relations between Netanyahu's Likud governments and the Hungarian governments ofViktor Orbán.[179]
During Begin's tenure as leader of Herut/Likud, his leadership was effectively unchallenged.[68] From 1983 through 1992, Herut/Likud elected its party leaders through votes held in party agencies.[68] The 1983 and 1984 Herut leadership elections were undertaken through a vote of Herut's Central Committee.[68] The day after Yitzhak Shamir won the 1983secret ballot vote of the Herut Central Committee to obtain Herut's party leadership, the party leaders of the other Likud coalition member parties announced that they agreed to have Shamir lead the Likud coalition.[194]
The 1992 Likud leadership election was the first held after Likud became a unified party. The 1992 leadership election was held as a vote of the Likud Central Committee.[68] After 1992, the party moved to electing its leaders through votes of its general membership, with the first such vote taking place in 1993.[68]
Prior to the2006 election, the Likud's Central Committee relinquished control of selecting the Knesset list to the "rank and file" members at Netanyahu's behest.[195] The aim was to improve the party's reputation, as the central committee had gained a reputation for corruption.[196]
Current MKs
Likud currently has 32 Knesset members. They are listed below in the order that they appeared on the party's list for the2022 elections.
Deputy DG, head of the Municipal Division, head of the Computer Division: Zuri Siso[197]
Manager of the Likud Chairman's Office: Hanni Blaivais[197]
Director of Foreign Affairs and Likud spokesperson: Eli Hazan[198]
Likud Central Committee
The Central Committee decides on all matters between party conferences, with the exceptions of matters designated to another organ. As of 2022[update], the chairman of the Central Committee isHaim Katz.[199]
The Central Committee has a considerable number of members. For example, in one vote, 3,050 members took part in 2005.[200]
Likud Secretariat
The secretariat is the body that elects the director general of the part and the heads various departments. It defines their powers and supervises their activities. As of 2022[update] the chairman of the secretariat isHaim Katz.[199]
Likud Court
The Court is the supreme judicial organ in all matters of the party.[199]
Legal Advisor
The Legal Advisor advises the party and its bodies in the matters of the state law and the Party constitution and represents the party before external authorities.[199] The Legal Advisor has a significant power and may overturn the decisions of most of the party bodies, including the Central Committee.[201] As of 2022[update] the Legal Advisor of the Likud Movement is Avi Halevy.[199]
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^Amnon Rapoport (1990).Experimental Studies of Interactive Decisions. Kluwer Academic. p. 413.ISBN978-0-7923-0685-6.Likud is a liberal-conservative party that gains much of its support from the lower and middle classes, and promotes free enterprise, nationalism, and expansionism.
^Joel Greenberg (22 November 1998)."The World: Pursuing Peace; Netanyahu and His Party Turn Away from 'Greater Israel'".The New York Times.Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved30 June 2015.Likud, despite defections, had joined Labor in accepting the inevitability of territorial compromise.... Revolutionary as it may seem, Likud's abandonment of its maximalist vision has in fact been evolving for years.
^Ethan Bronner (20 February 2009)."Netanyahu, Once Hawkish, Now Touts Pragmatism".The New York Times.Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved30 June 2015.Likud as a party has made a major transformation in the last 15 years from being rigidly committed to retaining all the land of Israel to looking pragmatically at how to retain for Israel defensible borders in a very uncertain Middle East....
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^abBaskin, Judith Reesa, ed. (2010).The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture. Cambridge University Press. p. 304.ISBN978-0-521-82597-9.Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved30 June 2015.To overcome Labor Party dominance, the bulk of center-right parties formed Likud.... In the early twenty-first century, Likud remains a major factor in the center-right political bloc.
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^Freedman, Robert Owen.Israel in the Begin Era. Praeger. p. 25.These divisions were especially underscored in the 1981 elections. During the Likud's first period in power there was a continuous conflict between the populist wing of the Likud, headed by David Levi of Herut, and the Liberal wing, along with...
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^Somfalvi, Attila (27 November 2005).נתניהו פותח את הקמפיין להנהגת הליכוד [Netanyahu begins campaign for leadership of the Likud].Ynet (in Hebrew).Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved7 June 2022.
^Somfalvi, Attila (9 August 2005).לנדאו הכריז על מועמדותו לראשות הליכוד [Landau has announced his candidacy for the chairmanship of the Likud].Ynet (in Hebrew).Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved7 June 2022.
^Somfalvi, Attila (24 November 2005).מרכז הליכוד אישר: הפריימריז בחודש הבא [The Likud's central committee has confirmed: Primaries will happen next month].Ynet (in Hebrew).Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved7 June 2022.
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