List of political parties in Israel

Israel's political system is based on proportional representation and allows for a multi-party system with numerous parties represented in the 120-seat Knesset.

A typical Knesset includes many factions represented. This is because of the low election threshold required for a seat–1 percent of the vote from 1949 to 1992, 1.5 percent from 1992 to 2003, 2 percent from 2003 to 2014, and 3.25 percent since 2015. In the 2015 elections, for instance, ten parties or alliances cleared the threshold, and five of them won at least ten seats. The low threshold, in combination with the nationwide party-list system, makes it all but impossible for a single party to win the 61 seats needed for a majority government. No party has ever won a majority of seats in an election, the most being 56, won by the Alignment grouping in the 1969 elections (the Alignment had briefly held a majority of seats before the elections following its formation in January 1969).

As a result, while only three parties (or their antecedents) have ever led governments, all Israeli governments as of 2020 have been coalitions comprising two or more parties.

Current parties

Parties represented in the Knesset

The following parties are represented following the March 2020 election:

Other parties

The following parties do not have Knesset seats at present:

• Ahrayut
• Ale Yarok
• Am Shalem
• Bible Bloc
• Brit Olam
• Da'am Workers Party, Organization for Democratic Action
• Dor
• Eretz Hadasha
• HaYisraelim
• Ihud Bnei HaBrit (United Allies)
• Kadima (held seats from 2005 to 2015)
• Koah HaKesef
• Koah LeHashpi'a
• Lazuz
• Leader
• Lehem
• Lev LaOlim
• Man's Rights in the Family Party
• Magen Yisrael (Shield of Israel)
• Meimad (held seats between 1999 and 2009 as part of One Israel alliance)
• New Horizon
• New Right
• Or
• Otzma Yehudit (held seats between 2012 and 2013 after breaking away from the National Union, then under the name Otzma LeYisrael; ran unsuccessfully as a part of Yachad list in the 2015 elections)
• Piratim-The Pirate Party of Israel
• Royalist Party of Israel
• Shavim (Community) - Founded in 2018 as an LGBTQ party
• The Greens
• Telem^[26]
• Tzomet (held seats between 1987 and 1999; for the 1996 elections it formed a joint "National Camp List" with Likud and Gesher)
• U'Bizchutan — founded in 2015 as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish women's party ^[27]
• Yachad
• Yisrael Hazaka
• Yisrael HaMithadeshet
• Zehut
• Noam

Former parties

Parties formerly represented in the Knesset

Parties that failed to win seats in the Knesset

• Hatzohar—the original Revisionist Zionist party, disbanded after failing to cross the electoral threshold in the 1949 elections.
• Popular Arab Bloc—Arab satellite list that ran in the 1949 elections.
• Tafnit—ran in the 2006 elections.
• Women's Party—ran in the 1977 elections.
• Yamin Yisrael—broke away from Moledet, another right-wing party, prior to the 1996 elections, but failed to cross the electoral threshold.

Name changes

The following parties changed their names

• Banai became Tehiya-Bnai, then Tehiya
• Emunim became Tkuma
• Equality in Israel-Panthers became the Unity Party
• Flatto-Sharon became Development and Peace
• Hitkhabrut became the Renewed Religious National Zionist Party, then Ahi
• Israel in the Centre became the Centre Party
• Meretz became Yachad, then Meretz-Yachad, then Meretz again
• Movement for Change and Initiative became Shinui
• Mizrachi-Hapoel HaMizrachi became the National Religious Front, then National Religious Party, then The Jewish Home
• National Responsibility became Kadima
• National Unity - National Progressive Alliance became Progressive National Alliance
• Parliamentary Group of Bronfman and Tsinker became Makhar, then the Democratic Choice
• Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea became the New Liberal Party
• Rafi – National List became Ometz
• Rakah became Maki
• Secular Faction became Hetz
• Social-Democratic Faction became the Independent Socialist Faction
• Shinui - Centre Party became Shinui - the Secular Movement, then Shinui - Party for the Secular and the Middle Class, but is generally known as Shinui

Zionist youth movements

• Betar (associated with Herut, and then Likud)
• Bnei Akiva (Sons of Akiva, associated with Mafdal (National Religious Party), and now The Jewish Home)
• Habonim Dror (The Builders - Freedom, socialist Zionist youth movement associated with the Israeli Labor Party)
• Hashomer Hatzair (The Young Guard, socialist Zionist youth movement associated with Mapam and unofficially with Meretz)
• Magshimey Herut (associated with Herut)
• HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed (The Learning and Working Youth, socialist Zionist youth movement, sister movement to Habonim Dror, associated with the Israeli Labor Party and the Histadrut)
• Noar Avoda (Labor Youth, associated with Labor)
• Noar Moledet (Moledet Youth, associated with Moledet)
• Young Meretz (for 18- to-35-year-olds) and Meretz Youth (for under 18s), associated with Meretz)
• Noar Meir and the Hilltop Youth (associated with Kach and its various successor parties)

See also

• Politics of Israel
• List of political parties by country
• Liberalism in Israel
• Labor Zionism
• Revisionist Zionism

References

External links

• Parties participating in the 2006 elections Knesset website (in English)
• All parliamentary groups Knesset website (in English)