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Meretz
Israeli political party From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Meretz (Hebrew: מֶרֶצ, lit. 'Vigour';[7] Arabic: ميرتس)[8] was a political party in Israel. It originated as an alliance of the Ratz, Mapam, and Shinui parties in 1992 and became a unified party in 1997.
Meretz identified as a social democratic and secular party. Its platform emphasized support for a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, human rights (including those of religious, ethnic, and sexual minorities), religious freedom, and environmentalism.[9] While Meretz’s three predecessor parties were Zionist, the party’s own position on Zionism has been disputed.[10][11]
Meretz was a member of the Progressive Alliance and Socialist International, and was an observer member of the Party of European Socialists. The party achieved its highest electoral result in the 1992 Israeli legislative election, winning 12 seats in the Knesset. During most of the early 21st century, it held between three and six seats.
In the 2022 Israeli legislative election, it failed to pass the electoral threshold and did not gain representation in the Knesset, the only time this occurred in its history. In 2024, Meretz merged the Israeli Labor Party to establish a new political party, The Democrats.[12]
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History
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As an alliance (1992–1997)
Meretz was established prior to the 1992 Israeli legislative election as an alliance of the Ratz, Mapam, and Shinui parties. It was initially led by Shulamit Aloni, founder and chairwoman of Ratz and a long-serving member of the Knesset. The name Meretz (מרצ) was formed as an acronym combining Mapam (מפ"ם) and Ratz (רצ). Although Shinui was not included in the acronym, it was referenced in the party’s campaign slogan: ממשלה עם מרצ, הכוח לעשות את השינוי (A government with vigor [Meretz], the strength to make the change [Shinui]).
In the 1992 election, Meretz won twelve seats, an increase from the combined ten seats that the three constituent parties had won in 1988. This result made Meretz the third-largest party in the Knesset. It became the major coalition partner of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s Labor Party and played a role in advancing the Oslo Accords. Members of Meretz held several ministerial positions: Shulamit Aloni was appointed Minister of Education, but after disagreements over the role of religion in education, she was reassigned in May 1993 as Minister Without Portfolio.[citation needed] In June 1993, she became Minister of Communications and Minister of Science and Technology, later renamed Minister of Science and the Arts. Amnon Rubinstein, Shinui leader and co-founder, served as Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Minister of Science and Technology, and later Minister of Education, Culture, and Sport. Yossi Sarid of Ratz was appointed Minister of the Environment, and Mapam leader Yair Tzaban became Minister of Immigrant Absorption.
Following the 1996 Israeli general election, Meretz lost three seats. Aloni was defeated by Sarid in an internal leadership contest and subsequently retired from political life.
Merger and decline (1997–2003)
In 1997, the three founding parties formally merged to form a single political entity. While Rubinstein supported the merger, most Shinui members opposed it. A faction of Shinui, led by Rubinstein, joined the new party, while the remainder, under Avraham Poraz, re-established Shinui as an independent party. In 1999, David Zucker left Meretz to serve as an independent member.
In 1999, Yossi Sarid was reelected as leader of Meretz in an internal leadership election conducted through a vote of party convention delegates. [13]The election preceded the 1999 Israeli general election, in which Meretz increased its representation to ten seats. Among those elected was Hussniya Jabara, who became the first female Palestinian citizen of Israel to serve as a member of the Knesset. Following the election, Meretz joined Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s coalition government. Sarid was appointed Minister of Education, Ran Cohen became Minister of Industry and Trade, and Haim Oron was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
After Likud leader Ariel Sharon defeated Barak in the 2001 Israeli prime ministerial election, Meretz withdrew from the coalition. On 22 October 2002, Amnon Rubinstein retired from the Knesset, and Uzi Even, next on the Meretz list, entered parliament, becoming the first openly gay member of the Knesset. His appointment drew mixed reactions, particularly from Haredi parties.[14]
For the 2003 Israeli legislative election, Meretz ran a joint list with Roman Bronfman’s Democratic Choice. The party’s representation declined to six seats. Sarid assumed responsibility for the result and resigned as party leader, though he continued to serve as a Knesset member until his retirement before the 2006 Israeli legislative election.
Yachad (2003–2006)
In December 2003, Meretz merged with Yossi Beilin’s non-parliamentary Shahar (שח"ר) movement. The intended name for the new party, Ya’ad (יעד, “Goal”), was abandoned due to concerns that it resembled the Russian word for "poison" and might alienate Russian-speaking voters. The name Yachad (יח"ד, meaning "Together") was chosen instead. It also served as a Hebrew acronym for "Social Democratic Israel" (ישראל חברתית דמוקרטית, Yisrael Hevratit Demokratit). The merger aimed to unify the dovish Zionist camp, which had experienced a significant decline in electoral strength amidst the Second Intifada.[citation needed] Although the merger included Meretz, Shahar, and Democratic Choice, other targeted movements declined to join.[citation needed] Party membership fell to approximately 20,000, about half the size of its 1999 membership.[citation needed]
In March 2004, Yossi Beilin was elected the first chairman of Yachad, defeating Ran Cohen. In July 2005, the party adopted the name Meretz-Yachad, following opinion polls showing that the public was more familiar with the name Meretz. Beilin opposed dropping Yachad entirely, and a compromise name was adopted.
2006–2022
In the 2006 elections, the party reverted to using the name Meretz with the slogan "Meretz on the left, the Human in the center,” and its representation fell to five seats.
In 2007, Tzvia Greenfield, sixth on the party list, entered the Knesset following Beilin’s retirement, becoming the first female Haredi member of the Knesset. In March 2008, an internal leadership election was held. Candidates included Yossi Beilin, Zehava Galon, Ran Cohen, and Haim Oron. Beilin later withdrew and endorsed Oron, who won the election on 18 March 2008 with 54.5% of the vote, defeating Cohen (27.1%) and Galon (18.1%).[15]
On 22 December 2008, Meretz completed a merger with Hatnua HaHadasha (“The New Movement”) in preparation for the 2009 Israeli legislative election.[16]
The joint Meretz–Hatnua HaHadasha list won three seats in the election. The decline in support was largely attributed to progressive Zionist voters casting strategic ballots for the Kadima party, aiming to help Tzipi Livni form a government instead of Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu.[17] Following the election,[18] some party members called for the resignation of party chairman Haim Oron and advocated for Zehava Galon to assume leadership. Oron resigned from the Knesset on 23 March 2011[19] and subsequently stepped down as party leader.
A leadership contest was held, with Zehava Galon, Ilan Gilon, and youth activist Ori Ophir competing for the position.[20] In the primaries on 7 February 2012, Galon was elected party chair with 60.6% of the vote, followed by Gilon with 36.6% and Ophir with 2.8%. In the 2013 Israeli legislative election, Meretz received 4.5% of the national vote and won six Knesset seats.[21]
On 8 December 2014, Meretz signed a surplus-vote agreement with the Labor Party for the upcoming 2015 legislative election,[22] the latter set to contest the election as the Zionist Union. On 19 January 2015, Meretz held its primaries at a meeting of its 1,000-member central committee in the Tel Aviv Convention Center: Zehava Galon was re-elected party leader, whilst MK Nitzan Horowitz chose not to stand for re-election.[23]
Ahead of the 2015 Israeli legislative election, Meretz signed a surplus-vote agreement with the Labor Party, which ran as part of the Zionist Union. After early election results suggested that Meretz’s representation would drop to four seats, Galon announced her intention to resign as chairperson and from the Knesset to make room for Tamar Zandberg, the fifth-place candidate.[24] However, once absentee and soldier ballots were counted, Meretz gained a fifth seat,[25] and Galon rescinded her resignation.[26][27]
Zandberg was elected party leader in 2018. In February 2019, Meretz held its first open primary, with 86% of party members participating. Ilan Gilon placed first and was ranked second on the Knesset slate after Zandberg. Michal Rozin placed second, followed by Issawi Frej and Ali Salalha.[28] In the April 2019 Israeli legislative election, Meretz won four seats.
Ahead of the September 2019 Israeli legislative election, Meretz formed an electoral alliance called the Democratic Union with Ehud Barak’s Israel Democratic Party and breakaway Labor MK Stav Shaffir.[29] The alliance, approved on 29 July 2019,[30] won five seats, three of which were held by Meretz members. Before the 2020 Israeli legislative election, Meretz entered a new alliance with Labor and Gesher, which won seven seats, including three for Meretz.
Return to government (2021–2022)
In the 2021 Israeli legislative election, Meretz won six seats and joined a coalition government with Yesh Atid, Blue and White, Yamina, the Labor Party, Yisrael Beiteinu, New Hope and the United Arab List.[31] Three Meretz members held ministerial posts: Nitzan Horowitz as Minister of Health, Tamar Zandberg as Minister of Environmental Protection, and Issawi Frej as Minister of Regional Cooperation. This marked the party’s first participation in a governing coalition since 2000.
Final decline and merger (2022–2024)
In the 2022 Israeli legislative election, under the renewed leadership of Zehava Galon, Meretz failed to pass the electoral threshold by approximately 3,800 votes, resulting in the loss of all Knesset representation for the first time.[32] Following the election, Meretz’s local branches and candidates reported financial difficulties due to the party’s lack of parliamentary funding.[33]
On 30 June 2024, Meretz agreed to merge with the Israeli Labor Party to establish a new political party, The Democrats. Under the terms of the merger, Meretz was guaranteed one position for every four on the new party’s electoral list and proportional representation within party bodies. The merger also ensured continued representation for Meretz’s municipal factions.[34] The agreement was ratified at a joint convention of delegates from both parties on 12 July 2024. Following the merger, Meretz and Labor remained separate organizationally and financially, with their respective factions in the Histadrut, municipal councils, and other external bodies continuing to operate independently while coordinating activities.[12]
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Ideology
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Meretz was a Zionist[35] and social democratic[36][37] party that advocated for progressive, egalitarian,[38][39][40] and secular policies,[1][2] as well as for green politics.[41][42] The party supported a two-state solution[43] based on the framework of the 2003 Geneva Initiative to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and maintained a platform emphasizing civil liberties, social justice, and environmental sustainability.
In international media, the party was often characterized as left-wing,[44][45][46] dovish, secular, civil libertarian, and opposed to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.[47][48][49][50] Meretz was affiliated with several international organizations, including full membership in the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance, and participated in Global Greens conferences.[51]
The party opposed the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People in 2018, organizing protests and petitioning the Supreme Court of Israel to overturn the legislation on the grounds that it discriminated against Arab citizens and the Druze community.[52]
Domestically, Meretz advocated for the rights of minorities in Israel, including Palestinian citizens and foreign workers; ensuring The State of Israel’s national security; supported affirmative action; and promoted LGBT rights. Its platform called for strengthening Israel’s social welfare system, protecting workers from exploitation—particularly among migrant and immigrant laborers—upholding the separation of religion and state, guaranteeing freedom of religion for non-Jewish communities, promoting liberal and pluralistic education.
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Leaders
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Leadership election process
Shulamit Aloni became the party's leader in 1992 not by a formal leadership election, but instead by a consensus of the party's founding leaders. After her 1996 retirement as leader, the party held its 1996 leadership election, for which the electorate was the membership of its Party Council. The party's 1999 leadership election saw a broader electorate, with the delegates of the Party Convention voting for its leader. In the 2004 leadership election, the party again expanded its leadership election electorate, opening the leadership vote up to the party's general membership. More than 15,000 party members participated in this leadership election.[13] The 2012 leadership election saw a return to limiting the elecotrate to party convention delegates.[54] In the 2018 leadership election, voting was re-opened to the party's general membership,[55] before being closed for the 2019 leadership election,[56] and later re-opened in 2022.[57]
Election results
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Knesset members
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Meretz supporters abroad
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Several left-wing Zionist organizations that shared many of the ideas of Meretz are affiliated with the Israel-based World Union of Meretz, which is an umbrella group for organizations in Jewish communities around the world that were linked to the Meretz party. The WUM is a faction within the World Zionist Organization and is part of the World Zionist Union (which runs in World Zionist Congress elections under the name Hatikvah) made up of the Labor Zionist Movement/Ameinu, Arzenu, and the World Union of Meretz, and sends delegates to the World Zionist Congress.[58] WUM affiliates include the London-based Meretz UK, France's Cercle Bernard Lazare and the USA's Partners for Progressive Israel. The World Union of Meretz has representation in other organizations, including the Jewish National Fund and the Zionist General Council.
Hashomer Hatzair, a progressive Zionist youth movement with branches in many countries, was informally associated with Meretz; it had previously been affiliated with Mapam.
American Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman, whose sister Susan moved from the US to Israel and is a Reform rabbi there, asked Israeli voters to choose Meretz in the 2015 election.[59][60]
In October 2024 the US affiliate of the World Union of Meretz, Partners for Progressive Israel, was the first Zionist group in the United States to call on the United States government to suspend its sale of offensive arms to Israel, calling on the American government to redirect its aid to Israel to peacebuilding efforts.[61]
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External links
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