The National Left (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: השמאל הלאומי - ''Ha'Smol Ha'Leumi'') is an Israeli

political movement A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

striving to express the classic values of

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

and the

Israeli Left Politics in Israel are dominated by Zionist parties. They traditionally fall into three camps, the first two being the largest: Labor Zionism, Revisionist Zionism and Religious Zionism. There are also several non-Zionist Orthodox Judaism, Ort ...

in face of the dwindling

electoral An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

success of left-wing parties in recent decades: "...Our great and Zionist national Left, who wants, just like Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl,

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...

and

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

, a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

democratic state Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choose gover ...

with recognizable and defendable borders, an exemplary, model society, and social justice" (translated from The National Left site).The National Left site
The movement was created on the foundation of "The National Left, a first draft", a 2009 manifesto by playwright

Shmuel Hasfari Shmuel Hasfari (Hebrew: שמואל הספרי; b. 26 August 1954) is an Israeli playwright and screenwriter. He was artistic director of the Cameri Theatre. Biography Shmuel Hasfari was born in Ramat Gan to Holocaust survivor parents from Poland ...

and attorney Eldad Yaniv describing the state of the Israeli Left and the potential dangers of continued Israeli presence in the West Bank territories, and attempting to restore the Left's influence on Israel's

political agenda In politics, a political agenda is a list of subjects or problems (issues) to which government officials as well as individuals outside the government are paying serious attention to at any given time. The political agenda is most often shaped by ...

by promoting a pragmatic agenda based on the values of the Left, an Israeli pullout from the West Bank and an end to the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...

, and turning the Israeli society into a "model society"."Israeli Stores Stop Selling Book That Denounces Settlers"
by Robert Mackey, ''New York Times'', 12 April 2010
by Attile Somfalvi, YnetNews, 12 April 2010 The book was criticized for its harsh denouncement of settlers and the settlement enterprise, and its distribution by bookstore chain Tzomet Sfarim was stopped, following pressure by right-wing sources. On May 15, 2010, the movement held a rally in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

under the banner "Zionists do not settle"."Thousands join left-wing J'lem rally"
by Abe Selig, ''The Jerusalem Post'', 16 May 2010 The demonstration was organized by The National Left,

Peace Now Peace Now ( he, שלום עכשיו ''Shalom Achshav'', ) is a non-governmental organization, liberal advocacy and activist group in Israel with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Objectives/position ...

and other left-wing organizations.

References

External links

The National Left official site

The National Left blog

"The National Left, a first draft"
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Left Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process Zionist organizations Political organizations based in Israel Left-wing politics in Israel