Tzomet

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Tzomet or Tsomet (Hebrew: צומת, meaning "crossroads") is a small-to-medium secular, right-wing Israeli political party.

1 History
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] 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 throughout its existence and modeled it in his spirit as a secular, right-wing party with a strong agricultural side. Many of Tzomet's members and MKs were neighbors of Eitan in Tel Adashim (a small agricultural community). Tzomet run for the 1984 elections in a joint list with the Tehiya party and Eitan was its only Member of the Knesset. Tzomet and the Tehiya parted way in 1987 and Tzomet run independently in the elections of 1988 (winning 2 seats) and 1992.

In 1992 Tzomet gained 8 seats and became the big winner of the elections. However, the party's success was also its downfall. None of the new MKs had any political experience and most were completely anonymous. A popular joke at the time described the party as "Raful and the seven dwarfs". Allegations of tyrannical behavior by Raful were raised, and three members—Gonen Segev, Esther Salmovitz, and Alex Goldfarb—left and founded the Yi'ud party. The latter two left the Yi'ud as well, continuing as the Atid party. The three left the party because Segev was offered the position of Minister of Energy by the Avoda-Meretz administration if he voted in favour of the Oslo Accords, which Tzomet opposed, and which would not have passed without his vote.

All this reduced the popularity of the party and in the 1996 elections it chose to run in a joint list with the Likud and Gesher (under the name "National Camp List"). Tzomet was ensured several relatively high places in the combined list, partly as a reward for the withdrawal of Eitan as prime minister candidate - the 1996 elections were the first Israeli elections to feature a double vote, one for the Knesset and one direct vote for the prime minister. Eventually, three Tzomet candidates were voted for the Knesset. In 1999 Tzomet run alone for the Knesset and gained no seats and Eitan retired from the political life. In 2003 the party run without Eitan for the Knesset and gained no seats.