Ideological Paradox
Bureaucracy and Political Parties
U.S. and Israeli governments
• From 1981 to 1984 Likud (Begin)
• From 1984 to 1988 unity government
of Alignment and Likud (Peres and
Shamir)
• From 1988-1992 Likud (Shamir)
• The Twelfth Knesset saw the rise of
the ultra-orthodox religious parties
as a significant force in Israeli
politics, and as a crucial "swing"
element which could determine
which of the large 2 secular parties
(Likud, Alignment) would get to
form the coalition government.
Secular right-wing
• The Likud was formed as a secular
party as an alliance of several rightwing
parties prior to the 1973
elections: Herut, Liberal Party, Free
Centre, National List, Movement for
Greater Israel. (5)
• Herut had been the largest right-wing
party.
• It had been in coalition with the
Liberals since 1965 (Gahal) with Herut
as the senior partner.
• Herut remained the senior partner in
the new grouping, named Likud, or
"Consolidation", since it was the
consolidation of the Israeli right.
Ideology
• Likud emphasizes national
security policy based on a
strong military force when
threatened with continued
enmity against Israel.
• It has shown reluctance to
negotiate with its neighbors
whom it believes continue to
seek the destruction of the
Jewish state. I[11]
• As of 2014, the party remains
divided between moderates and
hard-liners
Ideology
• Historically, Likud advocated free enterprise and nationalism, but it
has compromised these ideals in practice, as its constituency has
changed.
• Its support for populist economic programs are at odds with its
free enterprise tradition but are meant to serve its largely
nationalistic, lower-income voters in small towns and urban
neighborhoods.[
• While the party has played into the traditional sympathies of its
voter base, the origins and ideology of Likud are very secular.
• Religious parties have come to view it as a more comfortable
coalition partner than Labor.
Policies
• The Likud party platform since mid-1990s claims to support
free market capitalist and liberal agenda. Practically
speaking it is a mixed economic policy.
• VAT, income and corporate taxes reduced.
• Free trade with the EU and USA, dismantled ‘monopoly’
operating in Israel.
• Additionally, privatized several government-owned
companies, e.g., El Al and Bank Leumi and has tried to
privatize land in Israel, (symbolically owned by the state in
the name of the Jewish people).
Labor-Alignment
• Labor party
• From 1977-1991 Alignment between
centre-left parties
• Labor's original socialist ideology
evolved into a program that supports
both a market economy and social
welfare programs.
• Since 1992 the party's foreign policy
retains a strong orientation toward the
US with its security policy maintaining
a permanent peace with the
Palestinians only based on agreements
that are enforceable.
• “land for peace”
Reagan Revolution
• 1981-1989 Ronald Reagan
(Republican) U.S. president.
• Conservative ideology
• political
• economic
Paradox?
• Conservative vs. secular
conservative?
• religious conservatives in
Israel have own parties
• tension between U.S. secular
conservatives and market
conservatives
• Peace Process
• Schultz Plan (1988)
• Economy (1987-88)
Restriction
• Departments
• personality (Baker)
• inter-office/departmental rivalry
• famous Weinberger vs. Schultz
• Interest Groups
• AIPAC vs. J-street
• AAI (Arab-American Institute)
Paradox
• AWAC sale
• Iraq nuclear reactor (pre-emptive doctrine)
• 1982 Lebanon invasion
• Israel as aggressor
• Foreign Military Aid
• Sudan-Soviet refugees
• “global” Jewry
• Settlements (rainbow over an ancient land)
MOU’s
• October 23, 1975: Memorandum of Agreement regarding joint political, security
and economic cooperation.
• December 10, 1982: General security of information agreement.
• April 21, 1988: Memorandum of Agreement on Security Cooperation
• April 30, 1996: Counterterrorism cooperation accord to enhance capabilities to
deter, prevent, respond to and investigate international terrorist acts or threats of
international terrorist acts against Israel or the United States.
• October 31, 1998: Memorandum of Agreement on Security Cooperation
• February 8, 2007: Memorandum of Mutual Understanding on Homeland Security
• Jewish Virtual Library: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/
MOUs.html https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/MOUs.html
Mixed & Missed Signals
• 1988 (Alignment to Likud)
• settlements
• 1991 Gulf War
• 1996 (Labor to Likud)
• Oslo II
• 1999-2001 (Labor to Likud)
• Camp David with Clinton, Barak and Arafat
Misunderstood?
• “F_K, the jews, they don’t vote for us anyway”
• James Baker III, Secretary of State
• “Punishing us, like a child”
• M. Begin
• After 1979 and especially after 1994 different
approaches: legal vs. diplomatic
Internal-External Variables
• Coalition and Unity Israeli governments
• religious parties in Israel as “kingmakers”
• smaller parties and personalities
• Divided government in the U.S.
• Democratic president and Republican Congress or vise versa.
• Israeli-Palestinian peace process
• extremists and militant extremists hinder progress
Promise Denied
• 1991 Madrid
• 1993 Oslo Peace Accords
• 1997 Hebron
• West Bank withdrawal of Israeli troops
• 2000 Camp David
Readings
• George P. Schultz Turmoil and Triumph: My Years
as Secretary of State, New York: Scribner, 1993.
• Josef Federman (2014-12-02). "Israeli government
crumbles; new election planned". Associated
Press.“Netanyahu's own Likud party is divided
between more-centrist old timers and a young
guard of hard-line ideologues.”
• Dennis Ross (books and articles)