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Israeli Labor Party
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Israeli Labor Party
The Israeli Labor Party (Hebrew: מפלגת העבודה הישראלית, romanized: ⓘ), commonly known in Israel as HaAvoda (Hebrew: העבודה, lit. 'The Labor'), was a Labor Zionist and social democratic political party in Israel. It was established in 1968 through the merger of three Labor Zionist political parties: Mapai, Ahdut HaAvoda and Rafi. Until 1977, all Israeli prime ministers were affiliated with the Labor Party or its predecessors.
The party supported the welfare state and maintained close links with Israeli trade unions. It was associated with advocating for an Israeli–Palestinian peace process based on a two-state solution, pragmatic foreign policy positions, and social-democratic economic policies. The party was also characterized as secular and progressive. The party was a member of Socialist International until July 2018, after which it joined the Progressive Alliance. The party was also an observer member of the Party of European Socialists.
On 30 June 2024, under the leadership of Yair Golan, who had been elected party leader on 28 May 2024, the party agreed to merge with Meretz to form a new political party, The Democrats. The merger agreement provided for one Meretz representative in every four positions on the new party’s electoral list and party bodies, with additional representation for Meretz’s municipal factions. The merger was ratified by delegates of both Labor and Meretz on 12 July 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Labor and Meretz continue to function as separate corporate and budgetary entities, and their factions in the Histadrut, municipal councils, and other bodies outside the Knesset remain distinct while cooperating.
The foundations for the Israeli Labor Party were established shortly before the 1965 Knesset elections, when Mapai—the largest political party in Israel and the dominant partner in every government since the state’s founding in 1948—and its affiliated Arab satellite lists formed an alliance with Ahdut HaAvoda, another Labor Zionist party. The alliance was intended to strengthen Mapai’s electoral position following the departure of eight Knesset members led by former prime minister David Ben-Gurion, who established the new party Rafi after disputes including Mapai’s refusal to support a change in the electoral system that he had favored.
The alliance between Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda, known as the Labor Alignment (or retrospectively the First Alignment), won 45 seats in the 1965 elections. It formed a governing coalition with the National Religious Party, Mapam, the Independent Liberals, Poalei Agudat Yisrael, Progress and Development and Cooperation and Brotherhood. Following the Six-Day War in 1967, Rafi and Gahal also joined the coalition.
On 23 January 1968, Mapai, Ahdut HaAvoda, and Rafi (excluding Ben-Gurion, who established the National List in protest) merged to create the Israeli Labor Party. On 28 January 1969, the party entered into an alliance with Mapam, which also came to be known as the Alignment.
As the larger faction in the second Alignment, Labor became the dominant partner. Although Mapam left the Alignment during the eighth Knesset, it later rejoined.[citation needed] During the 1970s, successive Alignment-led governments expanded the welfare state. This included increases in pension benefits and the introduction of new social security schemes such as disability insurance and unemployment insurance (1970), children’s insurance (1975), and vacation pay for adopting parents (1976). Other initiatives included a Family Allowance for Veterans (1970), a benefit for Prisoners of Zion (1973), and mobility and volunteer benefits (1975). Between 1975 and 1976, a limited housing rehabilitation program was introduced in several older neighborhoods, and the Sick Leave Compensation Law of 1976 was enacted to provide compensation for employees absent from work due to illness.
Following the 1977 Israeli legislative election, the Labor Party entered the opposition for the first time. After the 1984 election, in which the Independent Liberals participated as part of the Alignment, the Alignment joined a national unity government with Likud, the National Religious Party, Agudat Yisrael, Shas, Morasha, Shinui, and Ometz. Under the coalition agreement, the office of prime minister alternated between the Alignment and Likud. During the eleventh Knesset, Mapam left the Alignment in opposition to Shimon Peres’s decision to join the unity government with Likud.
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Israeli Labor Party
The Israeli Labor Party (Hebrew: מפלגת העבודה הישראלית, romanized: ⓘ), commonly known in Israel as HaAvoda (Hebrew: העבודה, lit. 'The Labor'), was a Labor Zionist and social democratic political party in Israel. It was established in 1968 through the merger of three Labor Zionist political parties: Mapai, Ahdut HaAvoda and Rafi. Until 1977, all Israeli prime ministers were affiliated with the Labor Party or its predecessors.
The party supported the welfare state and maintained close links with Israeli trade unions. It was associated with advocating for an Israeli–Palestinian peace process based on a two-state solution, pragmatic foreign policy positions, and social-democratic economic policies. The party was also characterized as secular and progressive. The party was a member of Socialist International until July 2018, after which it joined the Progressive Alliance. The party was also an observer member of the Party of European Socialists.
On 30 June 2024, under the leadership of Yair Golan, who had been elected party leader on 28 May 2024, the party agreed to merge with Meretz to form a new political party, The Democrats. The merger agreement provided for one Meretz representative in every four positions on the new party’s electoral list and party bodies, with additional representation for Meretz’s municipal factions. The merger was ratified by delegates of both Labor and Meretz on 12 July 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Labor and Meretz continue to function as separate corporate and budgetary entities, and their factions in the Histadrut, municipal councils, and other bodies outside the Knesset remain distinct while cooperating.
The foundations for the Israeli Labor Party were established shortly before the 1965 Knesset elections, when Mapai—the largest political party in Israel and the dominant partner in every government since the state’s founding in 1948—and its affiliated Arab satellite lists formed an alliance with Ahdut HaAvoda, another Labor Zionist party. The alliance was intended to strengthen Mapai’s electoral position following the departure of eight Knesset members led by former prime minister David Ben-Gurion, who established the new party Rafi after disputes including Mapai’s refusal to support a change in the electoral system that he had favored.
The alliance between Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda, known as the Labor Alignment (or retrospectively the First Alignment), won 45 seats in the 1965 elections. It formed a governing coalition with the National Religious Party, Mapam, the Independent Liberals, Poalei Agudat Yisrael, Progress and Development and Cooperation and Brotherhood. Following the Six-Day War in 1967, Rafi and Gahal also joined the coalition.
On 23 January 1968, Mapai, Ahdut HaAvoda, and Rafi (excluding Ben-Gurion, who established the National List in protest) merged to create the Israeli Labor Party. On 28 January 1969, the party entered into an alliance with Mapam, which also came to be known as the Alignment.
As the larger faction in the second Alignment, Labor became the dominant partner. Although Mapam left the Alignment during the eighth Knesset, it later rejoined.[citation needed] During the 1970s, successive Alignment-led governments expanded the welfare state. This included increases in pension benefits and the introduction of new social security schemes such as disability insurance and unemployment insurance (1970), children’s insurance (1975), and vacation pay for adopting parents (1976). Other initiatives included a Family Allowance for Veterans (1970), a benefit for Prisoners of Zion (1973), and mobility and volunteer benefits (1975). Between 1975 and 1976, a limited housing rehabilitation program was introduced in several older neighborhoods, and the Sick Leave Compensation Law of 1976 was enacted to provide compensation for employees absent from work due to illness.
Following the 1977 Israeli legislative election, the Labor Party entered the opposition for the first time. After the 1984 election, in which the Independent Liberals participated as part of the Alignment, the Alignment joined a national unity government with Likud, the National Religious Party, Agudat Yisrael, Shas, Morasha, Shinui, and Ometz. Under the coalition agreement, the office of prime minister alternated between the Alignment and Likud. During the eleventh Knesset, Mapam left the Alignment in opposition to Shimon Peres’s decision to join the unity government with Likud.