Legislative elections were held in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
on 23 July 1984 to elect the eleventh
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
. However, the party could not form a government with any of the smaller parties, resulting in a national unity government with
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
, with both party leaders,
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
and
Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir ( he, יצחק שמיר, ; born Yitzhak Yezernitsky; October 22, 1915 – June 30, 2012) was an Israeli politician and the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms, 1983–1984 and 1986–1992. Before the establishment ...
, holding the post of
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
for two years each.
Background
The ongoing South Lebanon conflict
Bus 300 affair
Parliamentary factions
The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the
10th Knesset.
Results
The Eleventh Knesset
Due to the stalemate produced by the elections, it was decided to form a
national unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...
, with the Alignment and Likud holding the leadership for two years each. The Alignment's
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
formed the
twenty-first government on 13 September 1984. Alongside the Alignment and Likud, the coalition government included the National Religious Party, Agudat Yisrael, Shas, Morasha, Shinui and Ometz. Outside national unity governments formed during wartime (notably the government formed during the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
in the term of the
sixth Knesset, which had 111 MKs), it was the largest-ever coalition in Israeli political history, with 97 MKs.
In accordance with the
rotation agreement, Peres resigned in 1986 and Likud's
Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir ( he, יצחק שמיר, ; born Yitzhak Yezernitsky; October 22, 1915 – June 30, 2012) was an Israeli politician and the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms, 1983–1984 and 1986–1992. Before the establishment ...
formed the
twenty-second government on 20 October 1986. Shinui left the coalition on 26 May 1987.
The eleventh Knesset also contained two controversial parties,
Kach and the
Progressive List for Peace
The Progressive List for Peace ( he, הרשימה המתקדמת לשלום, ''HaReshima HaMitkademet LeShalom'', ar, القائمة التقدمية للسلام) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed from an alliance ...
(PLFP). Kach was a far-right party that advocated the expulsion of most
Israeli Arab
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
s, and although it had run in previous elections, it had not passed the
electoral threshold
The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...
. Ultimately the party was banned after a law was passed barring parties that incited racism. The attempts made to stop Kach from competing in the
next elections also affected the PLFP, as the addition of section 7a to the
Basic Law dealing with the Knesset ("Prevention of Participation of Candidates List") included the banning of parties that denied Israel's existence as a Jewish state:
:''A candidates' list shall not participate in elections to the Knesset if its objects or actions, expressly or by implication, include one of the following... negation of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people.''
On this basis, the
Central Elections Committee
The Israeli Central Elections Committee ( he, ועדת הבחירות המרכזית, ''Va'adet HaBehirot HaMerkazit'') is the body charged under the Knesset Elections Law of 1969 to carry out the elections for the upcoming Knesset. The committe ...
initially banned the PLFP from running for the 1988 elections, arguing that its policies promoted the scrapping of Israel as a Jewish state. However, the decision was eventually overturned by the
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court (, ''Beit HaMishpat HaElyon''; ar, المحكمة العليا) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction.
The Supreme C ...
, and the party was able to compete in the elections, winning one seat. Nevertheless, the law was not overturned, the Supreme Court merely deciding it was impossible to determine if "the real, central and active purpose
f the PFLPis to bring about the elimination of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people",
Entry barriers to the Knesset race
Haaretz and attempts were made to ban the Israeli Arab
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
parties Balad and Ta'al
Ta'al ( he, תַּעַ״ל, an acronym for he, תְּנוּעָה עֲרָבִית לְהִתְחַדְּשׁוּת, label=none, lit=Arab Movement for Renewal, ar, الحركة العربية للتغيير) is an Israeli Arab political party ...
using the same law prior to the 2003 elections.
During the Knesset term eight MKs left the Alignment; five to establish Mapam
Mapam ( he, מַפָּ״ם, an acronym for , ) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.
History
Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the kibbutz-based Hashomer Hatz ...
(one of which, Muhammed Wattad
Muhammed Wattad ( ar, محمد وتد, he, מוחמד ותד; 1 June 1937 – 24 September 1994) was an Israeli Arab journalist, writer and politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1981 and 1988.
Biography
Born in Jatt during th ...
, later defected from Mapam to Hadash), Abdulwahab Darawshe
Abdulwahab Darawshe ( ar, عبد الوهاب دراوشة, he, עבד-אלוהאב דראושה; born 12 October 1943) is an Israeli Arab former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and the Arab Democratic Party b ...
to establish the Arab Democratic Party, Yossi Sarid
Yossi Sarid ( he, יוסי שריד; 24 October 1940 – 4 December 2015) was an Israeli politician and news commentator. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment, Ratz and Meretz between 1974 and 2006. A former Minister of ...
defected to Ratz and Yitzhak Artzi
Yitzhak Artzi ( he, יצחק ארצי, born 14 November 1920, died 17 September 2003) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1984 and 1988.
Biography
Artzi was born Izo Hertzig in Siret, Romania into a Hassidic ...
to Shinui. The Alignment also gained three MKs when Yahad merged into it.
Ometz and Tami merged into Likud. Mordechai Virshubski
Mordechai Virshuvski ( he, מרדכי וירשובסקי, 10 May 1930 – 1 May 2012) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset (and as Deputy Speaker) for several parties between 1977 and 1992.
Biography
Born in Leipzig in ...
defected from Shinui to Ratz. Rafael Eitan
Rafael "Raful" Eitan ( he, רפאל "רפול" איתן, born 11 January 1929 – 23 November 2004) was an Israeli general, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (Ramatkal) and later a politician, a Knesset member, and government m ...
broke away from Tehiya to establish Tzomet
Tzomet ( he, צוֹמֶת, lit., ''Crossroads'') is a small, right-wing political party in Israel.
History
The party was founded by General Rafael Eitan in 1983, after his retirement from the position of chief-of-staff in 1982. He headed it throug ...
. Haim Drukman
Haim Meir Drukman ( he, חיים דרוקמן), born 15 November 1932) is an Israeli Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Rabbi and former politician. He serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Or Etzion, Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, and head of the Center for Bnei Aki ...
defected from Morasha to the National Religious Party. Shimon Ben-Shlomo broke away from Shas to sit as an independent.
See also
* 1984 Herut leadership election
* 1984 Israeli Labor Party leadership election
References
External links
Historical overview of the Eleventh Knesset
Knesset website
Knesset website
{{Israeli elections
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Legislative election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
Legislative elections in Israel
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...