Ometz ( he, אומץ, ''Courage''), originally Rafi – National List (Hebrew: רפ"י – רשימה ממלכתית, ''Rafi – Reshima Mamlakhtit''), then the National List (Hebrew: רשימה ממלכתית, ''Reshima Mamlakhtit'') was a small

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

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 ...

, which existed briefly in 1981, and then from 1983 until 1987. Though linked to it, it is considered a separate entity to the National List of the early 1970s.

Background

Rafi – National List was founded when three MKs,

Yigal Hurvitz Yigal Hurvitz ( he, יִגָּאֵל הורביץ; 15 October 1918 – 10 January 1994) was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister in the late 1970s and 1980s. Biography Hurvitz was born in Nahlat Yehuda (today part of Rishon ...

, Yitzhak Peretz and

Zalman Shoval Zalman Shoval ( he, זלמן שובל, born 28 April 1930) is an Israeli banker, politician and diplomat. He is also active in Israel's economic life. He was the Israeli ambassador to the United States in the years 1990–1993 and 1998–2000, a ...

, broke away from

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 ...

in January 1981, during the

ninth Knesset Legislative elections were held in Israel on 17 May 1977 to elect the ninth Knesset. For the first time in Israeli political history, the right wing, led by Likud, won a plurality of seats, ending almost 30 years of rule by the left-wing Alignme ...

, Hurvitz and Shoval having previously been members of the National List. However, three months later Hurvitz and Shoval left to join

Telem Telem can be any of the following: *In the Hebrew Bible: **a porter of the temple in the time of Ezra (10:24). **a town in the southern border of Judah (Josh. 15:24); probably the same as Telaim. * Telem (1981 political party), a former political p ...

, and the party was renamed ''National List''. It folded when Peretz rejoined Likud in June, shortly before the 30 June elections. The party was refounded as ''Rafi – National List'' by Hurvitz in 1983 during the tenth Knesset after Telem split in two (the other outcome was the

Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism The Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism ( he, תנועה להתחדשות ציונית חברתית, ''Tenoa'a LeHithadshut Tzionut Hevratit'') was a short-lived minor List of political parties in Israel, political party in Israel. Backgro ...

). Prior to the 1984 elections the party was renamed ''Ometz''. The party only won one seat in the elections, taken by Hurvitz. Despite its small size, the party was invited to

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 ...

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 ...

alongside the

National Religious Party The National Religious Party ( he, מִפְלָגָה דָּתִית לְאֻומִּית, ''Miflaga Datit Leumit'', commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Mafdal, ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist moveme ...

Agudat Israel Agudat Yisrael ( he, אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, lit., ''Union of Israel'', also transliterated ''Agudath Israel'', or, in Yiddish, ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party re ...

Shas Shas ( he, ש״ס) is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 under the leadership of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until his death in October 2013, it primarily ...

Morasha Morasha ( he, מורשה, ''Heritage''), later known as Morasha-Poalei Agudat Yisrael (), was a small, short-lived religious political party in Israel during the 1980s. History The Morasha party was formed in the run-up to the 1984 elections b ...

, and

Shinui Shinui ( he, שִׁינּוּי, lit. ''Change'') was a Zionist, secular, and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third-largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a ...

. On 27 August 1988, the party merged into Likud and ceased to exist.

Knesset Members

External links

Rafi - National List
Knesset website
National List
Knesset website
Ometz
Knesset website {{Israeli political parties Political parties established in 1981 Political parties disestablished in 1981 Political parties established in 1983 Political parties disestablished in 1988 Defunct political parties in Israel 1981 establishments in Israel 1981 disestablishments in Israel 1983 establishments in Israel 1988 disestablishments in Israel Likud breakaway groups