POLITICAL PARTIES IN ISRAEL,

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01617A000300090001-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 23
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 20, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 28, 1948
• Content Type: IM

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CrUiTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 4 3 8 2 3
SUBJECT: Political Parties in Israel, Class. CHANGED TO: TS S c
1, Introduction-
DDA Memo, 4 Apr 77
Auth: EGat.
77 1763
Date: 11W By:
The first elections in the State of Israel are scheduled for
25 January 1949, when approximately 1400,000 voters will cha a consti-
tuent,assembly to replace the POI (Provisional Government of Israel),
which was set 'up 15 may 1918 upon the expiration of the British Mandate.
bi- Israe1oe transition from a minority conmlunity to an independent sovereign
state, the political life of the Jewish community has undergone a number
of significant changes. 1. number of new parties have been formed, old
ones have disbanded, some have amalgamated, and still others have split
into two or more separate., parties. Many political groups have changed
a number of their basic policies as a result of the historic developments
of the past year, (and a;ll have probably been influenced in one way or
another by the 100,000 flmU.grants who entered Israel in the first ten
months of 1948)
In view of this extremely fluid political situation, it is almost
impossible to estimate 'fith accuracy what percent of the vote the.
various parties will r':eeive in the coming election,, All that can be
said with certainty it, that the great majority of the Israeli population
favors the building of a strong, independent Jewish state, based on
socialist concepts acid Messianic principles4 The extent of Israelis
boundaries, the degrr:e of socialism to be adopted in the state, and
Israelis foreign aliinment are still questions of intense controversy.
Although the coming election may indicate the trend of Israeli thinking
on these fundamental questions, it is not likely to answer them decisively,,
Not until the Arab-Jeuish controversy is resolved and the countries of
the Near Fast attain :;eme measure of political and economic stability
will the internal and foreign policies of the state of Israel crystallize
in an established patt3rna
Since its incept'.on on 15 May 1948, Israel has been ruled by a
provisional government, representative of almost every political group
in Israel but effect'.vely dominated by the moderate socialist party,
MAPAIO Whatever the outcome of the 25 January election, a coalition
government will aizr,st certainly again .be formed (at least initially),
since its major function will be to draw up a constitution, Neverthe-
less, because of is remarkably successful leadership during the past
NOTE: A glossary of terms will be
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year, LIAPAI will probably win a sufficient plurality to dominate the
political scene again, seeking, as heretofore, the support of the religious
and center parties. MAPAI will be strongly opposed in the election by
the right-wing Revisionist-Tenuat Hacherut bloc and by the ultra-socialist,
pro-Soviet MAPA4 Should the center and religious parties choose to
abandon L{APAI and join the right-wing bloc., MAPAX could probably still
control the government by making substantial concessions to L APA1'J Such
an alliance, however, would probably lead to a more intense socialism
in internal policy and the possibility of a more pro-Soviet alignment in
foreign policy The t%ommunist parties will gain few votes.
Fundamentally, Israel will continue to strive to maintain a neutral
position between East and Vest but will also continue to count heavily
on American financial assistance, A strong M,APAI victory would be desir-
able,, from the point of view of the US, in guaranteeing a relatively
moderate government. Power in the hands of the extreme right would result
in intensified nationalistic demands for territorial and economic
expansion1, Power in the hands of the extreme left would lead to closer
ties with the USSR, Fither development would prejudice the strategic
interests of the US in the Near Fast,,
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2. "iPAI* Miflerret 'Ooalei rretz Israel Palo ine Labor "a
MRAPAI, a monist socialist nartsr, has Caen the m. jor nautical
party of the Zionist movement since 1930, when it was formed by the
union of two large 'alestinian parties. Since 1930, it-has occupied
a central nosttion in the .:orld Zionist Organization and the Jewish
Agency. In May 1941, upon the termination of the British Mandate,
MA"AI formed the first (provisional) government of Israel 'with a cab-
inet and a council of state in w'iic'?i all tha major narti,ns in Israel
?ere represented.
MAPAI had long led the struggle for the establishment of a
swish state in Palestine, strongly advocating; tle Biltmore ?'rogram
of the Conference of American Zionists (May 194;j'%, which demanded the
opening of Talestine to unrestricted Jewish immigration under the
direction of the Jewish Agency and the establishment of a Jewish
Commonwealth in nalestine?
MAPAI aims at the synthesis of Zionism and socialism in the
life and work of the Israeli people. It advocates the mass immi-
gration of Jews from all over the world into an industrial and agri-
cultural socialist community w''.ich has orenared for their coming by
increasing to the maximum Israel's absorptive capacity through the
greatest nossible development of the country's natural and human
resources. MAPAI believes that all manual labor in Israel should be
done by Jews, lest the Jewish revival be attributed to the exploitation
of the labor of non evs, This basic theory has been the motivating
force behind the establishment of the collective and small-holding
settlements based on self-labor and cooperation, Through its flehaluts
(pioneer) movement, MAPAI trains Jewish youth abroad for agricultural
irk in Israel and maintains a system of labor education under the
aegis of the General Council of the Jewish Community (Vaad leumi)o The
economic and financial develonment of Israel has been achieved largely
through the Histadruth, a unique labor organization in 7'hhich all the
Israeli socialist parties are represented,, MAPAI wishes to continue
and expand Histadrut'h'a activities under sociali_-t nasty cortro~ and to
attract foreign investors into independent business ventures in Israel.
Nearly half the adult nopulation of Israel belongs to Histadruth, and
53% of its members belong to MAPAI.
In membership MAP Al includes agricultural, industrial, and
collar workers as -tell as members of the collective and cooperative
settlements. In the last elections for the Assefat Hanivharim (Jewish
Representative Assembly under the Mandate) in August 1944, MAPAI re-
ceived 36% of the vote? In the elections held for the 22nd Zionist
Congress, MAPAI again received 36% of the vote. MAPAIs chief propa-
ganda channel is the daily newsnaner Davar? MAPAI's leaders include
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David Ben Gurion, Prime Minister of the PGI; Moshe 3hertok, Foreign
Minister; Fliezer Kaplan, Finance Minister; Eliahu Dobkin, member of
the PGI Council of State; Ben Zvi, member of the PGI Council of .state
and President of the Vaad Leumi; and David Remez, Minister of Communi-
cations and Chairman of the Vaad'Leumi.
Although MA~'AI holds onl
Y 4 of the 13 portfolios in the PGI
Cabinet (Defense, Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Communications), it
dominates PGI affairs because seven other members, who represent
moderate center parties or special religious or ethnic groups, are
willing to fellow RAPAI0s lead except -.7hen their special interests
are involved. MAPAI is often criticized for its dictatorial tend-
encies both by its political opponents.and by impartial observers,
who charge that MAPAI leaders are using the PGies emergency wartime
powers of censorship and arrest against MAPAI's political opponents,
that MAPFI has extended its control over every aspect of economic
life through the Histadruth and over the army through political offi-
cers in key positions, and that for a citizen to qualify for a re-
sponsible po^ition,, or in some cases to make a bare living, it is
necessary to be a member of the Histadruth or MAPAL
Under MAPAI leadership, Israel has weathered the first pre-
carious seven months of Its existence. It has augmented its terri-
tory, avoided hostile UN action, and held the friendship and support
of both the US and the USSR. With the help of large contributions
from abroad, 100,000 immigrants have been received and cared for,
Israel?s financial situation is reasonably strong, the food supply is
adequate, and arms from abroad continue to flow to the successful army.
In spite of grumblings by the people about despotism and the failure
of the PGI to solicit greater aid from the USSR or to take over more
territory, MAPAI will probably again receive in the 25 January elections
the highest proportion of votes (30%-35%) and will almost certainly
dominate any new coalition government that is formed,
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}LAPAM: L iflaga ha-Poalim ha- /euchedet United r YJorkers7Party)
a,, L;APAL, which is also a Zionist socialist party, was formed in
January 19!a8 by the fusion of three left-wing parties: Achdut Avoda,
roale Zion Smol, and IHashomer Hatzair, MAPAI:i differs from 1APAI, with
which it is closely associated in the Histadruth, in advocating a more
extreme socialise within Israel and the forging of closer links with the
USSR in foreign affairs,.
An article in the 25 January 19)48 edition of the Palestine Post
ccntains excerpts from the new party&s platform:
"The independent nation is to forge its socialist
future by striving for a pact with the toiling Arab masses
in the country .The party sees itself as an inseperab'ie
part of the revolutionary workers u movement and the work
against capitalist reaction (sic), it will foster contacts
with revolutionary movements all over the world and favors
agreement between the workers of the world and the ULSity
which iu the first workerse state Complete equality and
cooperation between the Jewish people returning to its
land and the Arab masses living; there will be sought,...
Regarding the UN decision, the platform has determined
to support the establishment of the Jewish state and its
defense under present conditions despite its rejection,
in principle, of the partitio,: solution, it
This article also reports that MAPA has adopted the Achdut
Avoda administrative system of a council of 101 members and that the
Hashomer Hatzair newspaper idishrna.r will be issued daily by the party as
Al--ha Lgishma.r , Loshe Sneh, who was formerly a leader of the left tiring
a.. the Genera Zionists and reportedly the Jewish Agency's liaison
officer with Eastern Europe, is ;. APAW ~ s primary leader and spokesman,
He has had strong contacts with Polish Communists in Palestine, lie is
known as an ambitious opportunist and his influence was restricted in
the Jewish Agenc%, Council by more moderate leaders,, It is quite possible
that his shift to this "new" leftist party was motivated more by personal.,
ambition, and the chance to become the top man in the new party than by
conviction? In his speech at the opening meeting, Moshe Sneh stated
that the persecution of Corrmunists is identical to the persecution of
Jews and appealed to all to join in the strugglegled by the USSR g,
R for
freedom,, progress, democracy, and, above ally socialism., ,In spite of these MAPAL: speeches and articles clamoring for
closer Israeli--Soviet relations, there are no indications so far that
MAPAL; is Communist, In domestic policy it is strongly socialist, and
its sups ort of communal settlements, which are sponsored by all the
Israeli socialist parties, cannot be interpreted as a Cormunist policy..
MAPA;:i would gladly accept Soviet guidance, money, and arms in support
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of its Zionist aims but probably would not commit itself to a oscow
line contrary to the nationalist ideals of Israel.: ;A "RI", Is recent
refusal to join, lists with the Israeli Communists for the coming
elections, on the gr>'unls that the Communists are anti-Zionist and not
truly Marxist, supports this view;
On the other hand. there are definite indications that the USSR
has recognized MAPAM as a possible point of Corimnird.st penetration of
Israel., A*r unconfirmed report tates that the Palestine Communist
Party had been ordered by Ioscow to recruit Comc;unists arong ur'opean
immigrants for the :APAJA parties, not for the weak and discredited
Palestine Communist Party.., .'oscow has long had ties with the comnonent
Parties of 1A}'AI! through such pro-Soviet groups as the League for Soviet
r~:-19ndsnip, and the Kremlin is aware that :5APAM is the only strong party
which favors the formation of an anti--US-UK bloc in Israel. In a spe=ech
last August Moshe Sneh entered the lists against 4"faso:i.smtt and parroted the
Soviet line that Israel's strut; le was part of the fight. of the colonial
peoples of Asia.against imperialism,
;fiAPAbl's internal economic progran derlands the nationalization
of key industries, the tit;iitening of Y)ri.ce and rent controls, a capital
levy, progressive indirect taxation, a state r,ionorpoly of foreign trade;;
and the transfer of Histadruth t s ec.)nomic enterprises to the nation
The present PGI Cabinet contains two ;,APA?,t members: ~'ordecai
Bentov (Iiashoner Hatzair), i.iinister of Labor and Public Works; and Aaron
Zisling (Achdut Avoda), the _.inister of Agriculture? The right-wing
parties criticize LMAPA[:i 4 s cooperation with t.,APAI and claim cynically
that .iAPA'.i will never c.,nstitute a true opposition because its leaders
can always be bought off with more seats,: Although there is probably
a certain amount of truth in this contention, '.1APA,', bitterly attacks
MAPAI for its lukewarm socialism and its subservience to the ".est and
strongly opposed _,IAPAI'a dissolution of the }'almach, the crack striking
force of the army, which was political-'y pro#?,,APA" Nevertheless, 'APA`'
is still closer in outlook to *1111APAI than is any other Israeli party,
The most optimistic estimate of MAPA1,11 strength in the c.,ning
elections gives this party 25% of the vote, ~:;ost recent estimates,)
from Goldman in London and the Press Club in Tel Aviv, give MAPAM
only 18% and predict another ',,A" AI-led coalition.. In that case, MAPA:,':
would probably continue in very Pouch its present role; it would maintain its
economic power in the Histadruth and seek to gain prestige by taking
credit for any Soviet action favorable to Israel.
b. Of the three parties wuiich combined to form ".1APA?!, Achdut Avoda
(Hatnua Leahduth Haavoda--Movement for toe Unity of Labor) was the left-
wing opposition (group B) of MAPAI until June 1944 when it seceded over
an organizational matter and formed a separate party. There is little
ideological difference between Achdut Avoda and MAPAI,. Both are affiliated
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with the r':orld Zionist Organization and stand for a socialist Jewish
state in Palestine., Achdut Avoda is more radical in international affairs
than MAPAI and stresses closer ties with the International Labor r, ovsmentc
Its party platform in 19)4 was typical in its stand. for free Jewish
immigration, mass settlement., and the development of all the potentialities
of Palestine under the Jewish Apency:. The platform strongly opposes
any attempt to partition Palestine, and derfands the right of the labor
movement to educate all Jewish children, the separation of church and
state., and the sharing of r esponsibility by all parties in the adr inistra
tion of the Jewish com.:unity3 Achdut Avoda considers the Histadruth
the standard bearer of Zionism in the buildinj; up of the national econ..)my
and in the indoctrination of the Jewish people in Zionist and socialist
pr3_nciples. Achdut Avoda has over 100 branches and a membership of
about 10,000 in labor settlements-particularly the collective agricul-
tural settlements of the Kibbutz :'euchad, a federation if settlements
constituting the more radical wing of Jewish labor. In the 19111; elections
for the Assefat iianivharirn it received 18,168 votes or 9% of the total.
Its leaders include I~. Tabenkin and Aaron Zisling, now ?,Iinister of
Agriculture in the PGI.
In April 1946, Achdut Avo da merged with Poale Zion :-mot to form
the kefleget Achdut Avoda, altho-agh (as in the mergers of other Jewish
parties) it retained its own party organization. In the 19116 elections
to the General Zionist Congress, the first in which it participated,
Liefleget Achdut Avoda polled 24,3146 or 12% of the votes, After the
visit of two of its Members to Loscow in February 1948, this party
merged with the Hashor-ter Ilatzair - to form MAPAA,
c. The second party in I,1APAI., Hashomer Ilatzair (Young Guard),
is a doctrinaire revolutionary socialist party. it is pore leftist
than either 1APAI or Aendut Avoda in that it places greater :tress
on class consciousness and is anti-capitalist. Hashomer Ilatzair has
been affil'ated with the Oorld Zionist Organization, joining its fight
for unrestricted immigration and Jewish Agencr control over immigration
and colonization fashomer Hatzair'differed from the other Zionist
parties in advocating a bi-national independent state of Palestine. It
urged political parity between Arabs and Jews and an Arab-Jewish trade
union, in line with its pure socialist doctrine, which visualized the
toiling masses of both races uniting together against the Arab "Effendis"
and Jewish capitalists, After the fovember 19117 UN decision to partition
Palestine, lashor?..er Ilatzair abandoned its bi-national stand and rallied
enthusiastically to the Zionist cause, Up until l'vorld War 11 Hashomer
Hatzair was connected with the International Bureau of Revolutionary
Socialism and pad close ties with the former British Independent Labor
Party. Since 1912 Hashomer Ilatzair has advocated close ties with the
Soviet Uni, m,
The partyvs main strength is from the 6,00') members of the
Kibbutz Artzi, a federation of Hashomer Hatzair agricultural settle-
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meats, although in 191414 it also had l,,500 members outside these corm-
mu.nal settle*nents:., in the 19)414 Assefat Hanivhar.?ir, election: the
s"
fi D.sinomeat iiat, alr and the Foale Zion Smol combined it a "Left Front
which received 24,773 votes or 12.4,40 of the total
In February 1946, Hashomer Hatzair merged with the Socialist
League, Their combined program der:anded both t:ae holding o.t: elections
at regular intervals for the general asser.;bir of the Jewish comet unity
and greater participation in the a? inistration of the Vaad euz iy
whose policy they believed should be determined by the labor parties
and dei=,ocratic and progressive groups They also consider that the
freedom of the Jewish workers to wage a class struggle is vital to
Zionism, and they believe that any ideologies which include the con-
cept of arbitration or curtailment of the right to strike are not only
anti-socialist but anti--'Zionist
The 2,000 workers of the Socialist League plus 500 former
members of the "ashomer rnatzair Youth d;ovement brought total adult
s -
membership of the Iiashomer Hatzair up to P,500 in 1946,:. Its new
paper? Vishnar, wva the third most widely; circulated, in Palestine.
In l9i6 , :arty came out against terrorism and 'was ?sported to be
trying to gain strength in rural. areas.. in July 1946 there was a
reorganization of the political executive.. Sections were des, grated
for cooperation with the USSJ,, the V-League (Friendship for Soviet
iiussia), and the Arabs, A member of this political executive (Oren)
was reported to have gone to a conference at the Soviet Embassy in
London in 4eptember, where he promised that the Hashomer Hatzair would
work to make the Yishuv (th Jewish corrnunity in Palestine) vanguard
against Anglo~-.American influence in the middle fast. In the October
19146 elections for the liorld Zionist Confess, Hashomer liatzair polled
23,944 votes or 12% of the total,, Leaders include ;:.ordecai Bentov,
,Who is ::iinister of laorks and Buildings in the PGI, M. Yaari., and
V. Hasan,>
wring the fall of 1927 negotiations were in progress in
Palestine and abroad, particularly in Poland, for P. union of all
pro-Soviet left-wins, groups in the Jewish Agency to c unterba.lance
'.13:'AT e s "dictatorship" and to oppose toe "fascism" of the 1rgun-
Revisionist bloc.. Such pro-Soviet institutions as the Society for
Israeli-=Soviet Friendship, (the former V-League) the soviet section
of the Pan Slav Union., and the satellite consulates lent encouragement,
By January 19148, Achdut Avoda--Poale Zion S raol a s fear of being
swallowed up by the better organized communities of Hashomer Hatzair
was assuaged, and these three parties united to form IMAM;. In the
1946 elections to the Iiaetadruth the parties combined in YAPM
received 25% of the vote as opposed to 35% received by ;.IAPAI
d? The third of the triumvirate, the Poale Zion Smol (Left
Vfiorkers of Zion), is at the extreme left of the Zionist socialist
parties in Pelestine, Its socialism is similar to that of the
third (Moscow) International, but the partyVs numerous attempts to
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gain acceptance therein were rejected by tie ', mintern on the
gr.)unds that :vale Zion Smol was basically a Zionist wove merit., In
spite of these rebuffs Vie party reportedly kept in constant touch
with the Comintern and maintained through such pro-Soviet organi-
zations as the Lea ue for Israeli-Soviet Friendships close liaison
with Loscooww.1 Poale Zion Smol has been opooosed to the partition of
Palestine and favors unlimited irn?igrat-L-ni. and the adoption of
Yiddish as the national langua e< Foal Zion Smol receives host of
its support from the urban industrial workers, It polled about
3,000 votes in the last :iistadruth electi..on,
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R, .
4a Parties of the
a. To the extreme right in Israeli politics stand the
United Revisionist Party and the Tenuat lacherut, the Irgun Zvai
Leumi's new Freedom Party. These parties are true oar osition
parties, for they are not represented in the present coalition
Cabinet and continue to inveigh against the PGI's acceptance of
the principle of nartition. Although the paths of these two
groups diverged for many pars, both groups stem from Vladimir
Jabotinsky'a Zionist Revisionist Party and its"para-military
youth organization. Jahotinsky, an ardent Poliah Zionist who
founded the Judean "regiment in lorld far I and the first Jewish
defense organization against the Arabs, was elected a member. of
the Zionist Executive in 1921 but resigned in 1925 to create his
own party in violent onnosition to the general Zionist trend of
that time. Jabotinsky demanded a Jewish s0te in Palestine, a
Jewish army, and the mass immigration of the doomed Central
European Jews. His parts= wanted Palestine to be settled by
small canitalists and middle-class colonizers instead of socialists
on collective farms, and it demanded a .7estern orientation and the
latinization of the Hebrew alphabet in order to break down the
barriers between Judaism and the 'est. From 1935 co 1946 the
Revisionists were out of the "orld Zionist Organization and had
their own New Zionint Organization, which criticised the Zionist
majority for its mWerate annroach. Although sympathetic to the
Bilteore Program, the party did not subscribe to it because of
fear that Dr. .'eizmann and the Jewish Agency wtuid not fight serious-
ly Por its total realization
b. In March 1946 the Zionist Revisionist Party reunited with
the Jewish State Party (the -revisionist groan which stayed in the
iorld Zionist Organization) to form the United Revisionist Party
in order to take hart in the October elections to the /orld Zionist
Congress. In these elections the part won 26,964 votes or 14% of
the total (next highest to MAPAIN 35%) and sent 11 delegates to
the conference
Although the Revisionists have always opposed the moderate
methods of the majority of Zionists, most of their original aims
have gradually become realities. The economic and social ideals
of the party, however, are completely at odds with the forces of
Messianic socialism which reign in Israel today with the result
that the party has become less and less positive in aim and de-
votes itself largely to bitter criticism of those in power. The
Revisionists have an anti-socialist labor union, which has little
influence, and an active and vocal youth organization (Brit Trum-
peldor, or Betar).
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The present grogram of the party c.~.lls for the gradual trans-
formation of Palestine and Tranejordan into a Jewish Commonwealth
through the establishment of a Jewish Majority in the whole area. It
plans to oven the country on both sides of the Jordan to mass immi
gration, create a land reserve for agricultural settlement, and intro-
duce a state fiscal system to facilitate the economic absorption of
immigrAnts, ?7hile leaving the colonization itself to -)rivate initiative,
The Revisionists are bitterly opposed to the Histadruth and reject the
theory of the class struggle, onnose labor's right to strike, and be-
lieve in compulsory nntioral labor arbitration,
In 1946 the Revisionists were estimated to number from 6,000
to 8,000. As a result of their long exclusion from Zionist councils,
they have lost touch with present economic and political realities in
Israel. Their former laissez faire program has gradually given tray
to a policy of indiscriminately e.nd vitriolically attacking every-
thing connected with the left. This nolicy automatically sets the
Revisionists apart from the 43% of the population in the Histadruth as
well as any others connected with the labor parties. The United
Revisionist party alone would be of negligible importance, but with
the more dynamic Tenuat Hacherut it on form an opposition party of
some influence.
e. Tenuat Hacherut is the party by which Menachin 13eigin, former
loader of the Irgun Zvai Leu?ni, expects to win the "freedom of all pales-
tine"by political, as opposed to terrorist, means. Like the Revision-
ists, this party includes Transjordan in its definition of "Palestine,"
The Irgun Zvai Leumi was formed in 1935 by dissident members of HQgana
under Jabotins r. Irgun's aims were those of the Zionist Revisionist
Party. However, its methods of robbery, terrorism, torture, and bomb-
ings, which were directed against the British to force their withlrawal
from Palestine, were not acceptable to the Revisionists. By 15 Ysy
1948, when the British did withdraw? the.Irgun numbered some 15,000
trained, armed, fanatical nationalists, accustomed to violence and hav-
ing the outlawea contempt for authority,. The danger of having so large
an independent armed force within the country was fully realized by the
PGI, and a stern ultimatum (plus threats of force) "persuaded" the
Irgun to disband and enlist as individuals in the Israeli Army. Tenuat
Hacherut was formed as soon as Irgun was disbanded.
At its first convention in November 1948, the party declared
that, if it came to power, it would annul the PGI's consent to the
partition of Palestine. It claimed that the PGI hid no right to agree
to a reduction of Israel's territory or sovereignty and criticized the
PGI's "UN orientation." The convention also demanded the immediate
declaration of war against the Arab states, warned against a separate
peace with King Abdullah, and advocated the evacuation of Jews from
Arab countries and the conferring of Israeli citizenship on Jews the
world over. It criticized the perpetuation of the British Emergency
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Regulations and demanded the release or immediate civil trial of
Political detainees in Israel.
Tenuat Iia.cherut's internal policy calls for a democratic govern-
ment with proportional representation, including members from Christian
and Moslem minorities, and an economy based on private capital and free
enterprise? The party opposes government backing of private industries,
such as the Histadruth?controlied building industry. Although allowing*
the existence of a legal Communist party, Tentat lacherut would exclude
Communists from the Cabinet and the Executive Council,
In foreign relations, Tenuat Hacherut would prefer US to Soviet
3upnort, but it critizes the present government for not having sought
greater material aid from the USSR during the war with the Arabs.
Te=at Hacherut, rhich considers itself the main opposition
party, is highly critical of. MAPAIas monopolistic and dictatorial tend-
encies and demands an immediate free election, -vhieb it claims it will
win. Altman, head of the United Revisionist Party, last June esti-
mated that Tenuat Hacherut has 20,000 members. Hacherut leaders now
claim 60,,00 potential supporters from the United Revisionist Party,
the right wing of the General Zionist Party, and the Mizraehi party,
If this claim is accurate, the combination is a powerful religious-
rightist opposition in Israel, It is unlikely, in vier of MAPAIds
present political and military control combined with the enormous eco-
nomic oo?rer of the socialist parties, that such a coalition will win in
the elections. By depriving MAPAI of center support, however, it :night
force MAPAI to seek the close cooperation of MAPAM, thereby swinging
Israel toward a more socialist and more pro-Soviet policy. In their
recent estimates, Goldman and the Press Club agree that the Tenuat
Hacherut-Revisionist bloc -rill get annroximately 15% of the vote.
There have been reports that if Tettuat Hacherut fails to win in the
elections, the Irgun members, who allegedly still form an independent
military group, even though incorporated into the Israeli Army, Will
attempt to take over the country by a bloodless coup d'etat immediately
after the election.
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Religious Parties,
ao According to the most recent etir:ates, the religi ras parties
in Israel will get about 20% of the vote in Vie 25 Jpnuary elections.,
Consequently, they constitute a significant bloc in Israelis body rolitics,
b, :.:izrachi (T)iritual Center) is an orthodox religious mart ~ which
aims at instilling the religious and traditionalist spirit of the Torah
into all Jewish activities in Palestine. Its slo,,an is "The ?eople of
Israel, in tae land of Israel, accordi nt; to tue religion of Israel, " and
it d fines .Israel as streteain~,, from; the Nile to the Fur:hrates? Althougri
'Tizrachi was long; violently opposed to the UN Partition Plan? it accepted
partition eventually as a temporary exoedi ent ?for the relief of European
Jews,
*,tizracrd is affiliated with the r!brlci Zionist Organization and 'ias
adopted Vie Biltmore irogran,. It also exists as an inde~yendent organization
with an executive in Jerusaleic and branches throughout tae world. -izrachi
organized the flrbbinate to unify rabbinical affairs for all of Palestine.,
The part,' has a separate ortaudox religious educational sys ter?- unJor the
Vaad Leumi and a youth organization to training in Jew-,',s--z religious
ideolotZr and national culture. The ',Iizrachi publications ?are the daily
Has}iofehh and the monthly Chazon.
After the workers of mizrachi split off to fore the Hapoal Ha, izrachzi,
tuizra chi had to foe; its own labor exc'lange which later joined the General
Labor Fxcrian.,e in Tel Aviv. Jizrac-Ii ys economic activities in.lude a free
loan fund, a credit and savin _s fund, and housing projeeeccts.
Most religious Zionists belon,: to ! izraohi, wiiiciY i:=, largely middle class,,
or to Hapoal Hanizraczii, its workers, party. Although the two parties cooperate
closely in religious and cultural matters they occasionally differ on
economic and political issues. In the 19U elections to the Assefat
Hanivharir,., ';Tizrachi polled 7,772 votes or 4% of the total, In the October
1946 elections for delegates to the "brld Zionist Congress, it received
5,238 votes, again 4% of the total., '.,tizra^hi is repre sentated on the
Jewish Agency FScecutive, in Vaad Leurii, and in tau:, PGI,. Its representative
in tue present Cabinet i& Rpbbi t:ishrnan, 'ti nister of i e igious Affairs and
War Vi ctir,s
During the period before the UN Partition Resolution, the !"izracni. Party
was aligned with the Revisionists in violent opposition to the plan:, In the
recent Council of State meeting which was called to c?,)nsider anti-terrorist
measures after the assassination of Count Bernadottey the Vizrachi ~ e: hers
again joined the Revisionists in opposition to the I'Glvs severe measures
against terrorism, and at uresent Tenuat Nachierut leaders are claiming
'~izrac:ii support for their party in the corning election, Hou-iever, :.,izraciii
enjoys considerable power in the -'resent cabinet over the religious, cultural;
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and social life of to state, and would probably sunrort another APAI-
led government if it were assured of the sane favored v,ocition,.
C, liapoal Hazracii (Workers of the Spiritual (;enter), formerly the
workers w section of fizracni, advocates the establis'unent of a Jewish state in
Palestine based on tare "Torah and Labor," It shares the nationalistic views of
?APAI, accepted the Biltmore ?ros-,rar:, and is affiliated wit.-i the World Zionist
Organization, Hapoal Har..izracaivs domestic airrjs, whi-h are based r)ririarily
on religion and not on economics, are the consolirdation of Jewish labor in
Palestine, the irprovcrrcnt of t,ie material and spiritual conditions of its
s.u,i;ibers, and the ctrer,,theninr; of religious feelin - arson,: the viorkrrs of
Pn estine.. As cractical means to t;nir end the part,, or a.rizr; collective and
shall Molders K settlements, installs ritual kitc.iens and hostels, and sets
up loan find; and trade and vocational school.; . It i also interested in
proriotin;; Jev~ds.i culture, the Hebrew lanf,ua ;e, and encral education:. Hapoal
liar^izrac.ii has its own labor excaan,es, contra-,tint offices, anrt a labor
union outside the Histadruth..
lIapoal Hal:izrachi recognizes tie discipline of the Torah as t e :oasis of
everyday life and ')eli eves that the full realization of the Torah can be
brought about in Palestine only under a labor regime? it be? i . ?res that the
.Zionist mover-tent and the institutions of Israel should be di. rected by a
coalition of all groups in Israel along the lints of religio=x ani national
interests, and that there should be national arbitration of labor disputes.
The support of this part;, a;,ec frog, the reli#;ious workers t
settlerients and the ortiodox Zionist workers in the towns, :I', rer.bership is
estimated to be from 10"000 to 12,000. In the 19.01( elections for the Assefat
Hanivnarim,, it received 19,372 votes or 10% of the total, and in the 19146
elections it polled 19,176 votes, again approximately 1019 of 1--,i- total.
llapoal Hai izrachi has a youth organization, Bnei Akiba,, and i1i: ties a daily
paper, Hatzofeh, and a fortnightly, PIetiva? The party l.ibrar~ Torah ve Avoda
publishes books from time to tirrA, on he ?'`orld Torah and Labor Y` overnent?
Hapoal liarizracni is representated in the PGI Cabinet by M. Shapiro, the
Minister of Imrri1ration.
Hapoal IIa:. izraciii is an offshoot of the `rizrachi. (althou by now almost
three times as strong) and generally- cooperates wit:aa it on reli, iouz, and
cultural i;-sucs, IIapoal lirmizractii is more inclined than is nizracr'ii to
cooperate with other groups, such as the Histadruth, on poll+i -sail and econor-:ic
issues. It is probable that flapoal llarr:izrac'ii will continue to support .APA1.
Its views on both economic and national problems are too moderate to ;cake
likely an alignment with either left or ri,_:it extrer;es., The fact that U.
Shapiro iias the ver; important post of , sinister of Imrii.:ration in the PQI
Cabinet is indicative of Ai'AIIs confidence in the party.,
d., Agrudatli Israel (Association of Israel) is an extr:?er,e orthodox non-
Zionist group,, It favors the establistercnt of a Jewish state in Palestine but
believes that' such will be accomplished by God in its own time in accordance
with the Bible. It wants the Jeers to be organized on religious lines only and
is therefore hostile to the national principles of Zionism. Agudath Is-'ael,
however, has cone around to th ef support?ing the Zionists in the matter
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Agudath Israel membersaiq, which is var-ously e tirnated at
30, 000-50,000, consists mostly of religious officials w:iose families
:..e lived for generations in Jerusalem, Tiberias, and Wad. It is
part of a world organization, the 1orld Central Agudath Israel? In
Palestine, where Agudath Israel is outside the official Jewish coxnmun-
ity, it frequently supports the Vaad Leumi in national and external
affairs while differing from it in religious :natters..
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V' SECRET
6., Center narties,
a. Histadut Zioni.m Malim (General Zionist party) is a center o=!rty
.ch champions the building of the Jewish national home on Zionist
principles unadulterated by sectional interests or party ideilogy.,
`tand.)ing for Zionist unit-: above all, it is opposed to theories t
:la s war;'ar. e or arty ides _og y leading to >epar?a is ender, c;;
within Zionism. Hence, it condemns the present system of allocating
Israeli i.n igration certificates along party lines? Internally it
advocates an all--embracing labor organization which will be truly
general and non-political., It has its own organization;, Iiaoved Hazioni.
to provide employment for workers who are unwilling to subscribe to
the Histadruth's socialist principles,, The party considers itself the
standard-bearer of private enterprise and favor's the restriction of the
powers of monopolistic trusts., It advocates such social legislation
as health insurance, old.-age nensions,, and free, politically unbiased
education, Historically, the leaders of the General Zionists have
looked to the 7lestern Powers for support, although at ,resents, like
most other Israeli leaders, they hope for a "real, free, honest neutrality"
between East and "est.,
The General Zionist Party represents mainly middle class interests#
skilled craftsmen,, pett,, traders;; and small. farmers;, For a time the
part;; was split into two groups, General Zionists A standing to the left
of General Zionists B, The latter drew their amain support from industral.
fists and merchants, the Landlords, Associations, the Farmersu Federa-
tion, and the dianufacturersl~ Association, The two groups merged into
the General Zionist Party to win 7,616 votes or lt% of the total in the
October I9It6 elections to the '.".arld Zionist Congress,
Numerically. the General Zionists are weak;, (oril.y about 3
of the population,,) and have been losing strength,. Yet the; have two
members in the Cabinet and seven out of 38 seats on the. Council of State
(second only to b,APA.1),. This situation is due partly to the financial
power of the party in Palestine and abroad but mostly to the stature
of its leaders and their importance in world Zionism.. Dr, Chaim
Weizmann, the' President of Israel.,; and ik,. Stephen Wise,, Dr? Silver,
and Professors Brodetsky and Nahum Goldman of the Jewish Agency Fxecuc
tive are all General Zion:i.sts, as are Isaac, Greenbaum,, the PGI 11inister
of Home Affairs, and F'iedrick Bernstein, the inister of Industry and
!a.pplies, However,, the old liberal tradition of a united non-partisan
Zionist cause is dying; out as the realities of party politics take hold
in the new state., The General Zionists and their offshoot, the Progres-
sive Party,, are not expected to get mare. than 5% to 7% of the January
.vote.
b:. The Progressive Party represents Nahum Goldman"s effort to
combine certain elerents of the General Zionists, the General Zionist
workers (Haoved Hazion:,and the Aliya Hadasha into a single middle-
class, progressive party., Leaders include Yitzhaq Gruenbaum,, Moshe
C-1r6-, ~j
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Koiicdny of the Hac}ved fazioni, Felix Rcsenbleuth of Aliya Hadasha, and
P:, Garanovsky,, present chairman of the Genera]. Zionist Party, The
program of the party is not yet known,. It will probably be pro=,British
in its foreign alignment, In Seater:lber2, Goldman believed that his party
would et 15,10 of the votes., His December estimate E_ave only 171 to
all the center parties:. The Press Club in Tel Aviv estimates 5'0 to 7%
of the total for the General Zionists and 5% to 8% for the Aliya
Hadasha;
c~ Aliya Hadasha (New Immigration) was founded in 1P42 by, imrigrants
from Germany and other Central Furopean countries to represent them in
the public institutions of the Yishuv. It stands for Je'v:ish immigration
to Palestine on the largest possible scale and emphasizes practical
preparations for the absorption of new ir.>r igrants,. The ,)arty is a Member
of the '..orld Zionist Organization but did not subscribe to the 3iltmore
Program, In the past Aliya Hadasha leaders have been critical of the
Jewish Agency for not demanding the immediate admission of l00r 000
refugees and for not being willing to cooperate in an Arab-Jewish-
British settlement witcu.n the framework of tie British Errmire: These
leaders, however,, disagreed among the':.selves on whether to plump for
a continuation of the Mandate with greater immigration facilities or
for partition along the line; of the Peel Report,. The party believes
in equal status for Arabs and Jews and is inclined to take a more
moderate ,xsition than MAPAI in international affairs?
The party includes all classes but gains its major support from
a distinctive group of agricultural middle class=settlements,, of German
professional class origin., which are based on the doctrine of individual
property plus com:lete cooperation in marketing, supply, and communal
affairs., The party has its own labor group, which forms a special
section, the Aliya Hadasha Ovedet, in the Histadruth, Dr, F,, Rosenblueth,
Minister of Justice in the PGI,, was a party leader until he joined the
Progressive Party; Dr. G: Landauer is prominent in party affairs, It
publishes weekly two papers: Mitteilun-s~, Blatt (in German) and Amudin
(in Hebrew), In the 1944 elections o the Assefat Hanivharirn , Ali a
Hadasha received 21,383 votes or 10,,7, of the total? thereby securing
second place to MAPAJ:. In 1946 the party had over 10,0OO registered
members, and in the October elections it polled 12,055 votes or 6 ,~ of
the total.. The party is expected to get 5% to 8;0 of the votes in the
January elections?
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'**++~~ SECRET
7, C07muriist Parties
.On 12 December 1948 the Israeli Communist "arty (a coalition
of the Jewish Palestine Communist Party and the crab League of National
Liberation) merged i th the small Hebrew Communist Warty (numbering
between 700 and 800) to present a combined list in the coming elections.
These narties, which are generally estimated to have a total of only
21300 members, will have very little Influence on the elections. A
British estim:-.te o" total Communist strength in Israel i ; 9, 000 (61,000
in the Palestine Cocnnunist "arty and 3000 in the Hebrew Communist
Party), 'rl-:ich is only 1.5; of the nonui.;.tion. Communist parties polled
3,948 votes, or 2% of the total in the 191,4 Assefat Pfanivharim elections.
The Communist parties have been relatively unsucc ssful.
among Palestinian Jews because of the basic ideological conflict between
Co:nrunism tend "bourgeois n~-tionallst" Zionism and because the Communist
line in Palestine hh:s been one of onnosition to the establishment of a
Jewish state. The Communists called for the ejection of the ir norial-
ist British and ts,e establishment of one independent, democratic Jewish-
Arab state in Palestine. Although by May 1945 the Palestine Conn unist
Party had nled ;ed it" A federation of settle-
ments, considered the radical wing in the
Jewish labor movement.
Lormei Herut Yisreal - or "Fighters for Free-
dom of Israel.," The ' political party of the
Ctern Gang,
A Jewish youth and sports organization..
L;ifleget Poale Bretz Israel, The Palestine
Labor Party The Zionist moderate socialist
party which controls the present coalition
government,,
r`iflaga ha-Pualim ha4+euchedet., United Labor
(Workers) Party. A Zionist socialist party
composed of 3 left-wing parties: Achdut
Avoda, Poale Zion ;3nol, and Hashomer Hatzair,
An orthodox religious political party which
stands for establishing a Jewish state in
Palestine in accordance with the ' Torah,
The Jewish Communist party in Pale:;tinez Now
united with the crab League of National Libera-
tion in the Israeli Comunist Part,/.
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Poale Zion &,-Loll
Progressive Party
"Left Ylorkprs of Zion.," A ra.-ii.cal Zionist
socialist j)art;i n..ot: in 'VA'.'-'
The new center, rt; ddle-class party of ";chum
Goldman.,
Revi sionist Party K1, ;it wing party which dean t is a Jewish state
including all of alc! tine an' Trans;;ordan,.
Sephardi,
Stern Gang
A descendant of the former Je~vs of spain and
Portugal,, Loosely applirrd to all Oriental Jews
fro:.. Arabic countries.,
3rnall ;Troup of terrorist extremists. Now
outlawed.. Consider therxselves a r )litical
party, LH Y,.
Tenuat Hac'.ierut The p,litical part- of the riE:ht.win , extrer:ists,
l rgun Zvai Leurui
united tievisi,mist Party A reunion of the luvisionist T'ert,.- and the
Jewish State i'nrt.-
Vaad Leu r i "General Colinci l?" The execative council of
the , ssefat Hanivhsr5.m_
World Zioni:at Organization iW1.O, the internat.-.oral Z:ioniet bod;T, is divided
into federations of r:rri_c i eac.t is, as a rule, co
extensive wit,i the boundaries ')f a state, 1Senber-
ship in WIG is acquired by the annual nayment of a
shekel which also dives the r:? f,,ht to vote (to
an.-one over 13) for delegates to the World Zionist
Coni:ress, w il.c i is the suprer,e Lei;islative body of
the l'IZO.
Jewish cormnunity in "