Liberalism in Israel

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Many liberal political parties in Israel's history can claim substantial popular support, mainly proved by having representation in the Knesset.

Since Israel's founding, liberals have been active in politics. Note that the label "liberal" was also used by a conservative party that derived from the liberal current. At the moment Shinui, meaning "change" in Hebrew, represents liberalism by being a strongly anti-clerical, pro-free market liberal party. Shinui is a member of Liberal International.

While liberalism is usually suspicious of nationalism, Jewish liberals in Israel generally support some form of Zionism. By contrast, Balad draws upon liberal values in its aim to eliminate discrimination against Arabs and to redefine Israel as a state for all its citizens rather than a Jewish state, while the party itself is not an Arab liberal party.

Timeline

From General Zionists to Liberal Party

1922: Centrists in the Zionist Organisation form the Organization of General Zionists.
1931-1945 General Zionists split into "Faction A" and "Faction B" over liberal issues such as economics, social issues and orientation to the Histadrut. Factions A and B merge in 1945.
1961: The party merges with the Progressive Party to become the Liberal Party.
1965: The Liberal Party splits up, the conservatives continue as the Liberal Party which joins Herut to form Gahal (eventually becoming Likud), the liberal faction forms the Independent Liberals.
1988: The Liberal Party and Herut factions formally merge transforming Likud from an electoral coalition to a unitary political party.

From Progressive Party to Independent Liberals

1949: Liberals form the Progressive Party
1961: The party merges with the General Zionists to become the Liberal Party
1965: The Liberal Party splits up, the conservatives continue as the Liberal Party faction within Gahal, the liberals forming the Independent Liberals
1980s: The Independent Liberals merge into the Alignment.

From Shinui to Shinui

1973: Amnon Rubinstein forms the protest party Shinui
1976: Shinui merges with the newly founded Democratic Party to become Dash
1978: Dash splits up into the Democratic Movement and the Movement for Change and Initiative
1981: The Movement for Change and Initiative renames itself Shinui, and in 1988 becomes Shinui-Center Party
1992: The party merges with Mapam and Ratz to form Meretz, a left wing party with social democrat tendencies.
1998: Avraham Poraz splits with Meretz and recreates Shinui as an independent party.
1999: Yosef "Tommy" Lapid is invited by Poraz to head Shinui.
2006: Lapid leaves Shinui and Poraz secedes to form Hetz.

Hetz

2006: Avraham Poraz leaves Shinui to form Hetz.
2006: Both Shinui and Hetz fail to win any seats in the 2006 elections.

Yesh Atid and Hatnua

2012: Yosef Lapid's son, Yair Lapid, founds a new party, Yesh Atid.
2012: Avraham Poraz allows Tzipi Livni to use the infrastructure of Hetz to base her new party, the Movement.

Liberal leaders

Amnon Rubinstein