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Date: 2015-10-07; view: 550.

LIKUD

Guide to Israel's political parties

There are 34 political parties running in the Israeli general election on 22 January for 120 seats in the Knesset or parliament.

Likud finished in second place in the 2009 general election, with 27 seats, one behind Kadima. Yet it went on to lead the government because Mr Netanyahu was able to draw on the support of several key parties including Yisrael Beitenu and small religious factions to build a coalition.

For the 2013 election, Likud and Yisrael Beitenu (Israel is our Home), the party led by Avigdor Lieberman have formed a joint party list, though they have maintained separate political platforms.

• Leader: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• Founded: September 1973
• Politics: Conservative and nationalist
• Number of members in 18th Knesset: 27

• Likud home page

Likud was originally set up in 1973 to challenge the Labour party, the latest in a series of centre-left parties which had governed Israel since its creation in 1948. It was inspired by the ideology of the revisionist Zionist leader, Zev Jabotinsky. Likud first came to power in 1977 and for decades afterwards it alternated in government with Labour. In the 2003 elections, it won convincingly with 38 seats, but then underwent a damaging split in 2005. As Prime Minister Ariel Sharon oversaw Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, he lost support of many Likud members. He then left to form the centrist party, Kadima, taking prominent moderates with him. This resulted in Likud falling to fourth place in the election in 2006 with only 12 seats.

Ideologically, Likud is right-wing and nationalist. It opposed the 1993 Oslo Accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation. However, in 2009, under pressure from the United States, Mr Netanyahuaffirmed his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict with conditions attached. He said: "If we get a guarantee of demilitarisation and if the Palestinians recognise Israel as the Jewish state, we are ready to agree to a real peace agreement".

During the last government, headed by Likud, US-led talks with the Palestinians stalled over the issue of expanding Jewish settlements. Israeli policies in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank were a constant source of tension with the Obama administration and European allies. In this election campaign, support for the settlements has remained an important issue for right-wing voters.

The Likud election campaign is also relying heavily on the image of Mr Netanyahu as a strong prime minister. In terms of foreign policy, he has asked the world to draw "a clear red line" over Iran's nuclear programme. In terms of domestic policy, Likud is promising changes to the political system, a law for equality in national military service, economic reforms and a continued focus on security.