THE COMING ISRAELI ELECTIONS
ALEXANDER, MARK
War and Politics The Coming Israeli Elections By Mark Alexander New Leader Correspondent in Israel TEL AVIV—On January 25, or a few days later, the first elections will be held in the State...
...The right to vote in the elections is given to every man and woman of 18 years of age who was ¦ present in Israel territory on November 8, 1948 (the day the first and only census of population was conducted...
...The Freedom movement has concentiated its activities during the last weeks among religious Jews and the new immigrants from the Middle Eastern countries and North Africa It was hoped by members of this party that Mi Beigin would be able to tolled hugt sums in the U.S...
...Their social concepts are of a liberal character, hut they agree Jo cooperation with organized labor and to state control over private enterprise...
...One of them "Hashomer llazair" was in favor of creating a bi-national state, regarding such a solution not only as in line with its Socialist tenets but also as realistic in the then prevailing circumstances...
...1 for the coming elections...
...visualizing a theocratic form of society rejecting all secularism...
...Most neutral observers say therefore that the result of the election is a foregone conclusion - they are very sure about that in spite of certain startling happenings in the U K on November 2. 1948...
...Party polemics have almost entirely been lestrieted to the press...
...but much to the chagrin of the Hebraic purists...
...according to latest reports, however, Tnuat Hacherut seems to be in financial stcaits...
...It is generally assumed that the party will receive not more than 20 percent of the total volts...
...Moreover most Revisionists have joined by now Mr...
...there is hardly anybody younger than fifty to be found in Mapai leadership, and their power of attraction for the nation's youth is rather limited...
...It is expected that they will again emerge as the strongest party in Israel and this will mainly be due to the Personal prestige of Ben Gurion, • • • 2. The United Labor party (Mapam...
...Israeli Communists have been somewhat strengthened as the result of the merger of two splinter groups (the "Palestinian" and the "Hebrew" Communists...
...twenty days befoie the date fixed for the election, the campaign has not yet reached full fwing This, of course, is mainly a consequence of the tense political situation in the Middle East and the military «vents in the Negev...
...Ben Gurion, the Foreign Minister, Moshe Shei tok, the Treasurer, El...
...They might receive about 10 pet cent of the voices...
...Beigin's party (The Revisionist party was the second strongest after MAPAI in the elections in 1948) It is very difficult as yet to assess the prospects of this party but it has undoubtedly an emotional appeal among certain sections of the population (especially the backward layers, oriental Jews etc...
...This party has only recently come into being as a result of the fusion of two previously separate parlies with similar ideologies based on Marxist socialism...
...Moreover Mapai is made responsible not only for successes and achievements but also for the failures of Israeli foreign and domestic policy, and the party will have to put up a stiff fight in order to get the 35 percent of the votes it received in the last elections to the Zionist Congress two years ago...
...for not supporting the Israeli cause to the same degree as the "Eastern European democracies.'' There is, however, no collaboration between Mapam and the Communists, as Mapam accuses them of not being Zionists at all, and the Communists have therefore declared Mapam their enemv No...
...In foreign policy Mapam although demanding a "neutral, international orientation" is in ^act pro-Soviet and attacks the U.S...
...The party propagandists have been very active among the Arabs living in Israeli and the new immigrants from Eastern Europe, those sections of the population which were somewhat neglected by the other parties...
...Government officials and policemen may vote and run for office, but must suspend government service on the day on which their names appear on any list of candidates...
...Unlike the General Zionists abroad they exercise, however, very little influence on the masses and their part in the election will be negligible...
...War and Politics The Coming Israeli Elections By Mark Alexander New Leader Correspondent in Israel TEL AVIV—On January 25, or a few days later, the first elections will be held in the State of Israel...
...It champions, for example, an irredentism, on the one hand, which, if pursued, would involve the state in continual warfare and, on the other, it promises its adherents to follow a policy of peace if placed in power...
...3. The Communists...
...They hold two ministerial portfolios, that of Construction and Public Works, and of Agriculture...
...This is also a recent fusion of three smaller gioups...
...for the benefit of the new immigrants (110.000 during the last year...
...The Prime Minister, Mr...
...2. Tnuat Hocherut (Freedom Movement) This party is the offspring of the underground movement Irgun Zvai Leumi (IZL) and came into being when the latter was disbanded by the government...
...Kaplan, and other members of the Israeli government belong to Mapai, which has been in "power" for the last twenty years in the Jewish Agency Executive...
...Beigin's party, the former "Irgun") has promised to comply with the rules.—it remains, however, to be seen whether they are able and willing to carry out their promises to the end of the campaign • • * THE POLITICAL PARTIES: Leftwing: 1. The Israel Labor party (Airipai in its abbreviated form...
...This party is the most influential and has to its credit many achievements in the political and social spheres, 'ideologically it adheres to principles akin to those of the Second International, but its theories are based on its own experience of many years constructive work and are always adjusted to new requirements (Zioiii.it Newsletter)-, Since 1942, it has adopted a dynamic policy, convinced that only Jewish statehood could lead to the full realization of the Zionist ideals...
...Even the 'freedom movement'' (Mr...
...Manv of them are immigrants from Central Europe drawn together by" common interests and cultural background...
...Much of the propaganda, orally and in writing, is made in languages other than Hebrew (i.e...
...The party's propaganda is diiccted mainly against Israel's foreign policy, but its ideas in this respect too are vague and often contradictory...
...Mapai will emerge as the strongest party (although perhaps by a small margin) and it is generally understood that Mapai is all m favor of retaining after the election the same coalition which has been in power until now...
...both Mapai and Mapam are publishing a daily afternoon paper in Tel Aviv for the period of the election campaign, and the Freedom movement is going to publish a paper of its own in Jerusalem...
...The first posters have appeared on the walls, 'Give Your Voice to Alef" (the equival»nt of the letter A in the Hebrew alphabet Mapai), or "Orthodox Jiwiy Rallies-Bet" (B United Religion* Front), or "Workers, Peasants nid the Working Intelligentsia Join Mem (M . Mapam), etc...
...Both gioups have separate workers movements affiliated with the Histadrut and having established a number of collective settlements, They work and devote part of then time to the study of Talmud, but they reject of course, theoretical socialism...
...Moreover Arab Communists have joined the party, the Israeli Communists thus being the only party with a considerable non-Jewish membership...
...This party represents most of the industrialists and other capitalists...
...It is, however, expected that the ultia oillmdox wing within the ranks of Aguda (whose members oppose political Zionism for reasons of religion) will not join the combined list...
...Candidates for election for the constitutional assembly must have reached the age of 21...
...for his election campaign...
...by exploiting the "glamour" of its underground past...
...The number of members of the Constitutional Assembly is set at 120 The Israeli Official Gazette has stated: "From the day of the publication of election results the elected delegate shall enjoy parliamentary immunity...
...The parties now constituting Mapam polled 20-22 percent in (he last elections and the new party is expected to gain about the same percentage of voices...
...it is not excluded, however, thul they may emerge as the largest paity in the city of Jerusalem • * • THE ELECTION campaign up to now ha* been uneventful...
...Yiddish, Hungarian, Buiganan, Rumanian, Arabic, etc...
...However, Mapai, is mainly a party of the "Second Aliyah" (meaning those people who came to Palestine with the second big wave of immigration in 1910-19141...
...they shall be general, direct, secret and < proportional...
...2. "The United Religio\ts front'' foimed by the Misrahi, which stands for a form of life based on the Tot ah and Jewish traditions and the strongly orthodox "Agudat Israel...
...The "United Religious Front" will get about 12-15 percent of the votes in the election...
...Mapam wields considerable influence in the army and most members of the agricultural collective settlements belong to this party...
...Theoretically at least there is place tor everybody in its ranks: Communists and anti-Communists, orthodox Jews and Atheists, Liberals and Conservatives...
...Its propaganda output betrays a utter lack of originality and is merely a mixture of political catchwords gleaned horn various political parties...
...if a candidate who is elected is in prison, he shall be released only by permission of the Constitutional Assembly . . ." Soldiers may vote, but paily propaganda in the army camps is allowed only by means of written material...
...However, after the UN decision of November 29, Hashomer Hazair joined the other Zionist parties in demanding the establishment of an independent Jewish state in Palestine, thus affecting the creation of "Mapam...
...There have be»n hundreds of meetings and rallies organized by the different parties in pi actually every town, village settlement and haifitet, but popular response has not been enthusiastic—regardless of party sentiment or affiliation...
...Moat observers believe that the result of the election will come as a surprise to no one, even if Mapam or the Freedom Movement should be more successful than originally assumed...
...THE/.'ENTRE PARTIES: 1. The Progressive Party...
...Two years ago they received 2 percent of the votes— now their strength in the electorate might increase to 3-4 percent...
...They reject socialism but it must be pointed out that as a class they have made some contribution to the development of the country...
...The ideological platform of the Freedom movement is all-embracing...
...Misrahi has two ministers in the government (religion and immigration) and the Aguda one (social welfare...
...RIGHT WING: 1. The General '/.ionitf...
Vol. 32 • January 1949 • No. 3
