Progressive Party (Israel)
Encyclopedia
The Progressive Party was a political party in Israel
.
party, most of whose founders came from the ranks of the New Aliyah Party
and HaOved HaTzioni
, which had been active prior to independence. It consisted primarily of immigrants from Central Europe.
In the 1949 elections
the party gained five seats, with Idov Cohen
, Yeshayahu Forder
, Avraham Granot
, Yizhar Harari
and Pinchas Rosen
taking their place as Members of the Knesset (MKs). They joined the government as a coalition partner of David Ben-Gurion
's Mapai
party, and were members of both the first
and second governments
.
In the 1951 elections
the party lost a seat and dropped to 4 MKs. They were not included in Ben-Gurion's original coalition
, but were brought into the fourth government
as a replacement for the religious parties Agudat Israel
and Agudat Israel Workers
who had resigned over religious education
issues. They were also a coalition partner in the fifth government
(created when Ben Gurion resigned and was replaced by Moshe Sharett
), but were dropped from the sixth government
after a motion of no-confidence had been brought against the ruling coalition.
They regained their original strength at the 1955 elections
, returning to five seats, and were members both the seventh
and eighth governments
, headed by the returning Ben Gurion.
At the 1959 elections
the party gained another seat, their representation rising to six MKs. Again they joined Ben-Gurion's coalition
. On 8 May 1961 the party merged with the General Zionists
to form the Liberal Party
. It was the motion of no-confidence brought by the new Liberal Party and Herut
that brought down the government.
The 1961 election
saw the Liberal Party become the third largest in the Knesset, though they did not join the coalition
. Later in the session, the majority of the Liberal Party MKs merged with Herut
to form Gahal
(which eventually became Likud
). However, the MKs that agreed with the merger were largely previous members of the General Zionists. Most former Progressive Party MKs objected to the alliance with Herut and set up the Independent Liberals
instead.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
History
The Progressive Party was a liberalLiberalism in Israel
Many liberal political parties in Israel's history can claim substantial popular support, mainly proved by having representation in the Knesset.Since Israel's founding, liberals have been active in politics. Note that the label "liberal" was also used by a conservative party that derived from the...
party, most of whose founders came from the ranks of the New Aliyah Party
New Aliyah Party
The New Aliyah Party was a political party in Mandate Palestine and Israel.The party was established in 1942 by immigrants from Austria and Germany who had arrived in Palestine during the Fifth Aliyah. In the fourth Assembly of Representatives formed in 1944, the party had 18 seats , making it the...
and HaOved HaTzioni
HaOved HaTzioni
HaOved HaTzioni is a settlement movement in Israel.The movement was established in 1936 by former members of HaNoar HaTzioni, and its first settlement, kibbutz Usha, was founded on 7 November 1937. In 1948 the movement was one of the factions that established the Progressive Party....
, which had been active prior to independence. It consisted primarily of immigrants from Central Europe.
In the 1949 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1949
Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in newly independent Israel on 25 January 1949. Voter turnout was 86.9%. Two days after its first meeting on 14 February 1949, legislators voted to change the name of the body to the Knesset...
the party gained five seats, with Idov Cohen
Idov Cohen
-Biography:Born in Romania in 1909, Cohen was educated at a yeshiva. Between 1927 and 1933 he worked as a bookkeeper, before being appointed General Secretary of the Jewish National Fund in the country, a job he held until 1939...
, Yeshayahu Forder
Yeshayahu Forder
Dr Yeshayahu Forder was a German-Israeli lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Progressive Party between 1949 and 1957.-Biography:...
, Avraham Granot
Avraham Granot
Avraham Granot was a Zionist activist, Israeli politician and a signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence.-Biography:Granot was born in Făleşti, Bessarabia in the Russian Empire . He attended Gymnasia Herzliya in Tel Aviv...
, Yizhar Harari
Yizhar Harari
-Biography:Harari was born in Jaffa, then under Ottoman rule. He studied political science and journalism at the University of Paris and then law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and economics and political science in London, and was certified as a lawyer. In 1933, he worked as a journalist...
and Pinchas Rosen
Pinchas Rosen
Pinchas Rosen was an Israeli politician and statesman, and the country's first Minister of Justice, serving three times during 1948-51, 1952–56, and 1958-61. He was also leader of the Independent Liberals during the 1960s.-Biography:...
taking their place as Members of the Knesset (MKs). They joined the government as a coalition partner of David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
's Mapai
Mapai
Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
party, and were members of both the first
First government of Israel
The first government of Israel formed by David Ben-Gurion on 8 March 1949, a month and a half after the elections for the first Knesset. His Mapai party formed a coalition with the United Religious Front, the Progressive Party, the Sephardim and Oriental Communities and the Democratic List of...
and second governments
Second government of Israel
The second government of Israel was formed during the first Knesset. David Ben-Gurion made an attempt to form a minority government consisting of Mapai and Sephardim and Oriental Communities on 17 October, but it was not approved by the Knesset...
.
In the 1951 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1951
Elections for the second Knesset were held in Israel on 30 July 1951. Voter turnout was 75.1%.-Results:¹ Rostam Bastuni, Avraham Berman and Moshe Sneh left Mapam and set up the Left Faction. Bastuni later returned to Mapam whilst Berman and Sneh joined Maki. Hannah Lamdan and David Livschitz left...
the party lost a seat and dropped to 4 MKs. They were not included in Ben-Gurion's original coalition
Third government of Israel
The third government of Israel was formed by David Ben Gurion on 8 October 1951, more than two months after the elections. His Mapai party formed a coalition with Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi, Agudat Yisrael, Poalei Agudat Yisrael and the three Israeli Arab parties, the Democratic List for Israeli...
, but were brought into the fourth government
Fourth government of Israel
The fourth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion during the second Knesset on 24 December 1952. Ben-Gurion dropped the ultra-orthodox parties Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael from his coalition and replaced them with the General Zionists and the Progressive Party, who formed...
as a replacement for the religious parties Agudat Israel
Agudat Israel
Agudat Yisrael began as the original political party representing the ultra-Orthodox population of Israel. It was the umbrella party for almost all ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, and before that in the British Mandate of Palestine...
and Agudat Israel Workers
Agudat Israel Workers
Poalei Agudat Yisrael was a political party in Poland, and is a minor political party and settlement movement in Israel. It is also known as PAI or PAGI, its Hebrew acronym .-History:...
who had resigned over religious education
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects —its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles...
issues. They were also a coalition partner in the fifth government
Fifth government of Israel
The fifth government of Israel was formed by Moshe Sharett during the second Knesset on 26 January 1954, and was the first government not led by David Ben-Gurion. Sharett kept the same coalition partners as during the fourth government, i.e...
(created when Ben Gurion resigned and was replaced by Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...
), but were dropped from the sixth government
Sixth government of Israel
The sixth government of Israel was formed by Moshe Sharett during the second Knesset on 29 June 1955. Sharett dropped the General Zionists and the Progressive Party from his coalition, which included Mapai, Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi, the Democratic List for Israeli Arabs, Progress and Work and...
after a motion of no-confidence had been brought against the ruling coalition.
They regained their original strength at the 1955 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1955
Elections for the third Knesset were held in Israel on 26 July 1955. Voter turnout was 82.8%.-Results:Mapai retained its plurality in the Knesset, although its share of the vote dropped by 5.1 and its share of seats dropped from 47 to 40...
, returning to five seats, and were members both the seventh
Seventh government of Israel
The seventh government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 3 November 1955 following the July 1955 elections. His coalition included Mapai, the National Religious Front, Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda, and the Israeli Arab parties, the Democratic List for Israeli Arabs, Progress and Work and...
and eighth governments
Eighth government of Israel
The eighth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 7 January 1958, and was the second government of the third Knesset. Ben-Gurion kept the same coalition partners as during the previous government, i.e. Mapai, the National Religious Party, Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda, the Progressive Party,...
, headed by the returning Ben Gurion.
At the 1959 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1959
Elections for the fourth Knesset were held in Israel on 3 November 1959. Voter turnout was 81.5%.-Results:¹ The General Zionists and the Progressive Party merged to form the Liberal Party....
the party gained another seat, their representation rising to six MKs. Again they joined Ben-Gurion's coalition
Ninth government of Israel
The ninth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 17 December 1959 following the November 1959 elections. Ben-Gurion largely kept the same coalition partners as during the previous government The ninth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 17 December 1959 following...
. On 8 May 1961 the party merged with the General Zionists
General Zionists
The General Zionists were centrists within the Zionist movement and a political party in Israel. Their political arm is an ancestor of the modern-day Likud.-History:...
to form the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Israel)
The Israeli Liberal Party was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Likud.-History:The Liberal Party was formed on 8 May 1961, towards the end of the fourth Knesset, by a merger of the General Zionists and the Progressive Party, with the new party having 14...
. It was the motion of no-confidence brought by the new Liberal Party and Herut
Herut
Herut was the major right-wing political party in Israel from the 1940s until its formal merger into Likud in 1988, and an adherent of Revisionist Zionism.-History:...
that brought down the government.
The 1961 election
Israeli legislative election, 1961
Elections for the fifth Knesset were held in Israel on 15 August 1961. Voter turnout was 81.6%.-Results:¹ Eight MKs broke away from Mapai to establish Rafi² Herut and the Liberal Party merged to form Gahal...
saw the Liberal Party become the third largest in the Knesset, though they did not join the coalition
Tenth government of Israel
The tenth government of Israel was formed on 2 November 1961 following the August elections. Although David Ben-Gurion was appointed Prime Minister, the government was actually formed by Minister of Finance, Levi Eshkol...
. Later in the session, the majority of the Liberal Party MKs merged with Herut
Herut
Herut was the major right-wing political party in Israel from the 1940s until its formal merger into Likud in 1988, and an adherent of Revisionist Zionism.-History:...
to form Gahal
Gahal
Gahal , lit. Herut-Liberals Bloc) was the major right-wing political faction in Israel led by Menachem Begin from its founding in 1965 until it merged into Likud in 1973.-Background:...
(which eventually became 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...
). However, the MKs that agreed with the merger were largely previous members of the General Zionists. Most former Progressive Party MKs objected to the alliance with Herut and set up the Independent Liberals
Independent Liberals (Israel)
The Independent Liberals were a political party in Israel between the 1960s and 1980s.-History:The Independent Liberals party was formed during the fifth Knesset in the aftermath of the merger of the Liberal Party and Herut. Seven of the 17 Liberal Party MKs led by former Minister of Justice,...
instead.
External links
- Progressive Party Knesset website