Israeli legislative election, 1984
Encyclopedia
Elections
for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel
on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977
. However, the party could not form a government with any of the smaller parties, resulting in a national unity government with Likud
, with both party leaders, Shimon Peres
and Yitzhak Shamir
, holding the post of Prime Minister
for two years each.
1 Five MKs broke away from the Alignment to establish Mapam
and one to establish the Arab Democratic Party
, whilst one MK defected to Ratz and one to Shinui.
2 Yahad merged into the Alignment.
3 Mordechai Virshubski
defected from Shinui to Ratz.
4 Ometz and Tami merged into Likud.
5 One MK broke away from Tehiya to establish Tzomet
.
6 Haim Drukman
defected from Morasha to the National Religious Party.
7 Shimon Ben-Shlomo
broke away from Shas.
8 Muhammed Wattad
defected from Mapam to Hadash.
, with the Alignment and Likud holding the leadership for two years each. The Alignment's Shimon Peres
formed the twenty-first government
on 13 September 1984, and as well as Likud, the coalition included the National Religious Party, Agudat Israel, Shas, Morasha, Shinui and Ometz. Aside from national unity governments created at a time of war (notably the government formed during the Six-Day War
in the term of the sixth Knesset
, which had 111 MKs), it was the largest ever government in Israeli political history, with 97 MKs.
In accordance with the rotation agreement, Peres resigned in 1986 and Likud's Yitzhak Shamir
formed the twenty-second government
on 20 October 1986. Shinui left the coalition on 26 May 1987.
The eleventh Knesset also contained two controversial parties, Kach
and the Progressive List for Peace
(PLFP). Kach was a far-right party that advocated the expulsion of Israeli Arabs, and although it had run in previous elections, it had not passed the electoral threshold
. Ultimately the party was banned after a law was passed barring parties that incited racism. The attempts made to stop Kach from competing in the next elections
also affected the PLFP, as the addition of section 7a to the Basic Law
dealing with the Knesset ("Prevention of Participation of Candidates List") included the banning of parties that denied Israel's existence as a Jewish state:
On this basis, the Central Elections Committee
initially banned the PLFP from running for the 1988 elections, arguing that its policies promoted the scapping of Israel as a Jewish state. However, the decision was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel
, and party was able to compete in the elections, winning one seat. Nevertheless, the law was not overturned, the Supreme Court merely deciding it was impossible to determine if "the real, central and active purpose [of the PFLP] is to bring about the elimination of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people", and attempts were made to ban the Israeli Arab parties Balad
and Ta'al
using the same law prior to the 2003 elections.
Elections in Israel
Elections in Israel are based on nationwide proportional representation. The electoral threshold is currently set at 2%, with the number of seats a party receives in the Knesset being proportional to the number of votes it receives. The Knesset is elected for a four-year term, although most...
for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977
Israeli legislative election, 1977
The Elections for the ninth Knesset were held on 17 May 1977. For the first time in Israeli political history, the right-wing, led by Likud, won the election, ending almost 30 years of rule by the left-wing Alignment and its predecessor, Mapai...
. However, the party could not form a government with any of the smaller parties, resulting in a national unity government with Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
, with both party leaders, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
and Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir
' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
, holding the post of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
for two years each.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alignment Alignment (political party) The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party... 1 2 |
724,074 | 34.9 | 44 | |
| Likud Likud Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had... 4 |
661,302 | 31.9 | 41 | |
| Tehiya Tehiya Tehiya , originally known as Banai , then Tehiya-Bnai , was a small right-wing political party in Israel that existed from 1979 until 1992... 5 |
83,037 | 4.0 | 5 | |
| National Religious Party National Religious Party The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992... 6 |
73,530 | 3.5 | 4 | |
| Hadash Hadash Hadash is a Jewish and Arab socialist front of organizations that runs for the Israeli parliament. It currently has four members in the 120-seat Knesset.-Background:... 8 |
69,815 | 3.4 | 4 | 0 |
| Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... 7 |
63,605 | 3.1 | 4 | New |
| Shinui Shinui Shinui is a Zionist, secular and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977 the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for... 1 3 |
54,747 | 2.7 | 3 | |
| Ratz 1 3 | 49,698 | 2.4 | 3 | |
| Yahad 2 | 46,302 | 2.2 | 3 | New |
| Progressive List for Peace Progressive List for Peace The Progressive List for Peace was a left-wing political party in Israel formed from an alliance of both Arab and Jewish left-wing activists.-History:... |
38,012 | 1.8 | 2 | New |
| Agudat Yisrael | 36,079 | 1.7 | 2 | |
| Morasha Morasha Morasha , later known as Morasha-Poalei Agudat Yisrael was a small, short-lived religious political party in Israel during the 1980s.-Background:... 6 |
33,287 | 1.6 | 2 | New |
| Tami Tami Tami was a Mizrahi-dominated political party in Israel during the 1980s. It was led by Aharon Abuhatzira for its entire existence.-Background:... 4 |
31,103 | 1.5 | 1 | |
| Kach Kach and Kahane Chai Kach was a far-right political party in Israel. Founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane in the early 1970s, and following his Jewish nationalist ideology , the party entered the Knesset in 1984 after several electoral failures... |
25,907 | 1.2 | 1 | |
| Ometz Ometz (political party) Ometz , originally Rafi – National List , then the National List was a small right-wing political party in Israel, which existed briefly in 1981, and then from 1983 until 1987... 4 |
23,845 | 1.2 | 1 | New |
| Aryeh Eliav Aryeh Eliav Arie "Lova" Eliav, born Lev Lipschitz , , was an Israeli politician and former member of the Knesset.-Biography:... |
15,348 | 0.7 | 0 | New |
| Handicapped Organisation | 12,329 | 0.6 | 0 | New |
| Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism The Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism was a short-lived minor political party in Israel during the mid-1980s.-Background:The party was formed on 6 June 1983 by Minister without Portfolio Mordechai Ben-Porat following the break-up of Telem .However, the party failed to cross the electoral... |
5,876 | 0.3 | 0 | New |
| Aliyah and Youth Movement | 5,794 | 0.3 | 0 | New |
| Shiluv | 5,499 | 0.3 | 0 | New |
| Independence | 4,887 | 0.2 | 0 | New |
| National Organisation for the Defence of the Tenant | 3,195 | 0.2 | 0 | New |
| Development and Peace | 2,430 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Has Mas | 1,472 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
| Movement for the Homeland | 1,415 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
| Amkha Victor Tayar -Biography:Born in Libya, Tayar made aliyah to Israel and settled in Jaffa.During the 1970s he was amongst the leaders of the Black Panthers. For the 1981 elections he headed a party called Amkha, but won only 460 votes. In the 1984 elections Amkha won 733 votes... |
733 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 18,081 | |||
| Total | 2,091,402 | 100 | 120 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen et al | ||||
1 Five MKs broke away from the Alignment to establish Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
and one to establish the Arab Democratic Party
Arab Democratic Party (Israel)
The Arab Democratic Party commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acroynym Mada was a political party in Israel. Since the late 1990s it has been a faction within the United Arab List.-Background:...
, whilst one MK defected to Ratz and one to Shinui.
2 Yahad merged into the Alignment.
3 Mordechai Virshubski
Mordechai Virshubski
Mordechai Virshubski is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for several parties between 1977 and 1992.-Biography:...
defected from Shinui to Ratz.
4 Ometz and Tami merged into Likud.
5 One MK broke away from Tehiya to establish Tzomet
Tzomet
Tzomet is a small secular, right-wing political party in Israel.-Ideology:The party was the one who first brought the "peace for peace" slogan, which today is used by all Israeli right wing parties and movements...
.
6 Haim Drukman
Haim Drukman
Haim Meir Drukman , born 15 November 1932) is an Israeli Orthodox Rabbi and former politician. Today he serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, the head of the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement and Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot.-Early life:...
defected from Morasha to the National Religious Party.
7 Shimon Ben-Shlomo
Shimon Ben-Shlomo
Shimon Ben-Shlomo is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1984 and 1988.-Biography:Born in Yemen in 1942, Ben-Shimon made aliyah to Israel in 1949...
broke away from Shas.
8 Muhammed Wattad
Muhammed Wattad
Muhammed Wattad was an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1981 and 1988.-Biography:Born in Jatt during the Mandate era, Wattad was a member of the Israeli Communist Youth and Hashomer Hatzair...
defected from Mapam to Hadash.
The Eleventh Knesset
Due to the stalemate produced by the elections, it was decided to form a national unity governmentNational unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
, with the Alignment and Likud holding the leadership for two years each. The Alignment's Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
formed the twenty-first government
Twenty-first government of Israel
The twenty-first government of Israel was formed by Shimon Peres of the Alignment on 13 September 1984, following the July elections. With both the Alignment and Likud winning over 40 seats each, neither side could form a stand-alone coalition, resulting in a national unity government, together...
on 13 September 1984, and as well as Likud, the coalition included the National Religious Party, Agudat Israel, Shas, Morasha, Shinui and Ometz. Aside from national unity governments created at a time of war (notably the government formed during the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in the term of the sixth Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1965
Elections for the sixth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1965. Voter turnout was 85.9%.-Background:Prior to the elections, two major alliances were formed; Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda united to form the Alignment, whilst Herut and the Liberal Party had formed the Gahal alliance towards the end...
, which had 111 MKs), it was the largest ever government in Israeli political history, with 97 MKs.
In accordance with the rotation agreement, Peres resigned in 1986 and Likud's Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir
' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
formed the twenty-second government
Twenty-second government of Israel
The twenty-second government of Israel was formed by Yitzhak Shamir of Likud on 20 October 1986. Shamir replaced Shimon Peres of the Alignment as Prime Minister as part of a rotation deal within the national unity coalition between the two parties...
on 20 October 1986. Shinui left the coalition on 26 May 1987.
The eleventh Knesset also contained two controversial parties, Kach
Kach and Kahane Chai
Kach was a far-right political party in Israel. Founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane in the early 1970s, and following his Jewish nationalist ideology , the party entered the Knesset in 1984 after several electoral failures...
and the Progressive List for Peace
Progressive List for Peace
The Progressive List for Peace was a left-wing political party in Israel formed from an alliance of both Arab and Jewish left-wing activists.-History:...
(PLFP). Kach was a far-right party that advocated the expulsion of Israeli Arabs, and although it had run in previous elections, it had not passed the electoral threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
. Ultimately the party was banned after a law was passed barring parties that incited racism. The attempts made to stop Kach from competing in the next elections
Israeli legislative election, 1988
Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party...
also affected the PLFP, as the addition of section 7a to the Basic Law
Basic Laws of Israel
The Basic Laws of Israel are a key component of Israel's constitutional law. These laws deal with the formation and role of the principal state's institutions, and the relations between the state's authorities. Some of them also protect civil rights...
dealing with the Knesset ("Prevention of Participation of Candidates List") included the banning of parties that denied Israel's existence as a Jewish state:
- A candidates' list shall not participate in elections to the Knesset if its objects or actions, expressly or by implication, include one of the following... negation of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people.
On this basis, the Central Elections Committee
Israeli Central Elections Committee
The Israeli Central Elections Committee is the body charged under the Knesset Elections Law of 1969 to carry out the elections for the upcoming Knesset. The committee is composed of Knesset members representating various parliamentary groups and is chaired by a Supreme Court Justice...
initially banned the PLFP from running for the 1988 elections, arguing that its policies promoted the scapping of Israel as a Jewish state. However, the decision was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
, and party was able to compete in the elections, winning one seat. Nevertheless, the law was not overturned, the Supreme Court merely deciding it was impossible to determine if "the real, central and active purpose [of the PFLP] is to bring about the elimination of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people", and attempts were made to ban the Israeli Arab parties Balad
Balad (Israel)
Balad is an Israeli Arab political party in Israel led by Jamal Zahalka. It is sometimes called the "National Democratic Alliance".- Ideology :...
and Ta'al
Ta'al
Ta'al is an Israeli Arab political party in Israel led by Ahmad Tibi.-History:Ta'al was founded by Tibi in the mid 1990s. It ran in the 1996 elections under the name Arab Union, but won only 2,087 votes . For the 1999 elections it ran as part of the Balad list. Tibi won a seat, and broke away from...
using the same law prior to the 2003 elections.
External links
- Historical overview of the Eleventh Knesset Knesset website
- Election results Knesset website