Leader of the Opposition (Israel)
Encyclopedia
The Leader of the Opposition , is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in the Israeli legislative body, the Knesset
.
Party or Israeli Labor Party, in all their versions. However, the party leading the coalition had never won the majority in the Knesset, but rather maintained it through a majority coalition building process within the Knesset. Over half a century (except for two occasions), either the Likud party or the Labor party, in all their versions, had formed the government (i.e. the Cabinet), without the other rival party joining the government, and thus except for these two occasions, wherein 1967–1970, Golda Meir
and Levi Eshkol
, and in 1984–1988, Shimon Peres
and Yitzhak Shamir
had formed a National Unity Government
, consisting of the two major rival parties, the Opposition Leader had always been the chairman of either the Likud party or the chairman of Labor, and It is commonly said that during that period, wherein the two major rivals parties were joined by a unity government, there were practically no opposition in the Knesset.
and the chairman of the largest party not within the government. However, it was carried out only accordingly to the Prime Minister's decision, and thus the Knesset had to pass a legislation that will anchor the position of the Opposition Leader, in order to strengthen the Opposition's status as an oversight apparatus to the operations of the installed government's activities.
. The bills were merged into one amendment, and on 17 July, 2000, the Knesset had approved Amendment 8. to the "Knesset Law" of 1994 , wherein chapter 6 within this law was added, and had outlined the role of the Leader of the Opposition.
The law stipulates the selection of the Opposition Leader, his replacement, regulates his ceremonial role in various official events, and obliges the prime minister to update him on current state affairs once a month. The law also stipulates that the Opposition Leader's salary will be determined by knesset committee, and shall not be lower than a salary of a Cabinet minister.
on one hand, and the Arab parties, on the other hand. The question was whether there can be an opposition leader that will be able to assemble all factions of the opposition, and to properly represent each and everyone's interest within the opposition.
In one example, where these concerns where actually practiced, was in 2005, when the secularist
party of Shinui
was forced to leave the governing coalition, and the chairman of that party, then MK Tommy Lapid was selected to head the opposition in the Knesset, while the religious-orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism
and Shas
, refused to recognize his authority and claimed he did not represent them.
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
.
Until 2000
Until 2000, the role of the Opposition Leader was not an official position, but rather an honorary role. The Leader of the Opposition used to be the leader of the largest party not within the government, which was also the second largest party in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, either LikudLikud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
Party or Israeli Labor Party, in all their versions. However, the party leading the coalition had never won the majority in the Knesset, but rather maintained it through a majority coalition building process within the Knesset. Over half a century (except for two occasions), either the Likud party or the Labor party, in all their versions, had formed the government (i.e. the Cabinet), without the other rival party joining the government, and thus except for these two occasions, wherein 1967–1970, Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
and Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol
' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
, and in 1984–1988, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
and Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir
' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
had formed a National Unity Government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
, consisting of the two major rival parties, the Opposition Leader had always been the chairman of either the Likud party or the chairman of Labor, and It is commonly said that during that period, wherein the two major rivals parties were joined by a unity government, there were practically no opposition in the Knesset.
Since year 2000
Even with the absence of a law defining the role of the Opposition Leader until year 2000, it was customary to conduct update meetings between the Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
and the chairman of the largest party not within the government. However, it was carried out only accordingly to the Prime Minister's decision, and thus the Knesset had to pass a legislation that will anchor the position of the Opposition Leader, in order to strengthen the Opposition's status as an oversight apparatus to the operations of the installed government's activities.
The Knesset Law, Chapter 6
In early 2000, two bills requiring to amend the Opposition Leader's status were submitted to the knesset. One was a "Government bill" (bill initiated by the government), and the other was a "private members' bill" (Initiated by a single or a group of Knesset Members), submitted by MK Uzi LandauUzi Landau
Uzi Landau is an Israeli politician, member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu and Minister of National Infrastructure. Previously a Likud MK, he served as Minister of Internal Security between 2001 and 2003.-Biography:...
. The bills were merged into one amendment, and on 17 July, 2000, the Knesset had approved Amendment 8. to the "Knesset Law" of 1994 , wherein chapter 6 within this law was added, and had outlined the role of the Leader of the Opposition.
The law stipulates the selection of the Opposition Leader, his replacement, regulates his ceremonial role in various official events, and obliges the prime minister to update him on current state affairs once a month. The law also stipulates that the Opposition Leader's salary will be determined by knesset committee, and shall not be lower than a salary of a Cabinet minister.
The problematics of the legislation
As long as the role of the Leader of the Opposition was an honorary role, the knesset members of the opposition didn't care much who will be the Leader of the Opposition, but when the proposal to regulate his role came up, questions began to rise: 'Who is the opposition leader?', since the opposition is made up from various parties, that the only thing they have in common is the fact that none of them is a member of the governing coalition and the cabinet, and in addition, the Opposition Leader is a person whose party may have won by only one vote more than the other opposition parties. In this way, there can be a situation where the opposition members are for example, rightist National UnionNational Union (Israel)
The National Union is an alliance of nationalist political parties in Israel. In the 2009 elections the National Union consisted of four parties: Moledet, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Tkuma.-Background:...
on one hand, and the Arab parties, on the other hand. The question was whether there can be an opposition leader that will be able to assemble all factions of the opposition, and to properly represent each and everyone's interest within the opposition.
In one example, where these concerns where actually practiced, was in 2005, when the secularist
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
party of Shinui
Shinui
Shinui is a Zionist, secular and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977 the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for...
was forced to leave the governing coalition, and the chairman of that party, then MK Tommy Lapid was selected to head the opposition in the Knesset, while the religious-orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism is an alliance of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel, two small Israeli Haredi political parties in the Knesset. It was first formed in 1992.The two parties have not always agreed with each other about policy matters...
and Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
, refused to recognize his authority and claimed he did not represent them.
List of Opposition leaders
- 1948-1967: Menachem BeginMenachem Begin' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
- 1967-1970: There wasn't any clear Opposition Leader during this period, though the head of the largest faction within the Opposition, between 1967-1969, was Meir Ya'ariMeir Ya'ariMeir Ya'ari was an Israeli politician, educator and social activist. He was the leader of Hashomer Hatzair, Kibbutz Artzi and Mapam, and a member of the Knesset.-Life:...
(MapamMapamMapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
party, 8 seats). Between 1969-1970, Yitzhak-Meir LevinYitzhak-Meir LevinRabbi Yitzhak-Meir Levin was an Haredi politician. He had political roles in Poland and Israel. One of 37 people to sign the Israeli declaration of independence, he served in several Israeli cabinets, and was a longtime leader and Knesset minster for Agudath Israel and related...
(Agudat IsraelAgudat IsraelAgudat Yisrael began as the original political party representing the ultra-Orthodox population of Israel. It was the umbrella party for almost all ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, and before that in the British Mandate of Palestine...
party, 4 seats) was the leader of the largest Opposition faction. - 1970-1977: Menachem BeginMenachem Begin' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
- 1977-1984: Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
- 1984-1990: There wasn't any clear Opposition Leader during this period, though the head of the largest faction within the Opposition, between 1984-1988, was Yuval Ne'emanYuval Ne'emanYuval Ne'eman , was a renowned Israeli theoretical physicist, military scientist, and politician. He was a minister in the Israeli government in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Biography:...
(TehiyaTehiyaTehiya , originally known as Banai , then Tehiya-Bnai , was a small right-wing political party in Israel that existed from 1979 until 1992...
-TzometTzometTzomet is a small secular, right-wing political party in Israel.-Ideology:The party was the one who first brought the "peace for peace" slogan, which today is used by all Israeli right wing parties and movements...
party, 5 seats). Between 1988-1990, Shulamit AloniShulamit AloniShulamit Aloni is an Israeli politician and left-wing activist. She is a prominent member of the Israeli peace camp, founded the Ratz party and was leader of the Meretz party and served as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993.-Biography:...
(Ratz party, 5 seats), was the leader of the largest Opposition faction. - 1990-1992: Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
- 1992-1993: Yitzhak ShamirYitzhak Shamir' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
- 1993-1996: Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
- 1996-1997: Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
- 1997-1999: Ehud BarakEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
- 1999-2000: Ariel SharonAriel SharonAriel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
Post-2000
After Amendment 8. to the "Knesset law" of 1994 was passed, the Leader of the Opposition became the person which the largest faction of the Opposition selected:- 2000-2001: Ariel SharonAriel SharonAriel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
- 2001-2003: Yossi SaridYossi SaridYossi Sarid is a left-wing Israeli news commentator and former politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment, Ratz and Meretz between 1974 and 2006...
- 2003: Amram MitznaAmram MitznaAmram Mitzna is an Israeli politician and former general. He is the acting mayor of Yeruham, the former mayor of Haifa and led the Labour Party from 2002 to 2003.-Youth, studies and military service:...
- 2003: Dalia ItzikDalia ItzikDalia Itzik , born 20 October 1952, is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima. She has previously served in several ministerial positions, and on 4 May 2006 became the first female speaker of the Knesset, and has since served as President of Israel in an...
- 2003-2005: Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
- 2005: Tommy Lapid
- 2005-2006: Amir PeretzAmir PeretzAmir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
- 2006-2009: Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
- 2009: Tzipi LivniTzipi LivniTzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...
- Incumbent