Tzomet
Encyclopedia
Tzomet is a small secular, right-wing political party in Israel
.
i right wing parties and movements. "Peace for peace" means that Israel
should not give up territories to get real peace (see land for peace
), and if Arabs really want peace they should stop the policy of demanding lands using threats but give up on their demands.
The party supports a separation of religion and state.
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 ran 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 ran independently in the 1988 elections
, winning two seats. The party joined Yitzhak Shamir
's government in 1990 and Eitan was appointed Minister of Agriculture
. However, the party left the coalition in December 1991 in protest at Shamir's participation in the Madrid Conference
.
In the 1992 elections
Tzomet gained eight seats, but were not included in the left-wing coalition. 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 Yiud
party (which then also splintered into Atid
. The three left the party because Segev was offered the position of Minister of Energy by Yitzhak Rabin
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 into the Knesset
, though one of them, Moshe Peled, broke away to form his own Mekhora
faction before joining Moledet
.
In the 1999 elections Tzomet ran alone for the Knesset. However, it had lost almost all its support, and won just 4,128 votes, less than 10% of the number needed to cross the 1.5% electoral threshold
. After the humiliating defeat, Eitan retired from the political life.
The party continues to exist and has run in the 2003, the 2006 elections, and the 2009 elections
, but won only 2,023, 1,342, and 1,520 votes respectively in the three elections, not meeting the election threshold in any of them.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Ideology
The party was the one who first brought the "peace for peace" slogan, which today is used by all IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i right wing parties and movements. "Peace for peace" means that Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
should not give up territories to get real peace (see land for peace
Land for peace
Land for peace is an interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 242 which has formed the basis of subsequent Arab-Israeli peace making. The name Land for Peace is derived from the wording of the resolution's first operative paragraph which affirms that peace should include the application of...
), and if Arabs really want peace they should stop the policy of demanding lands using threats but give up on their demands.
The party supports a separation of religion and state.
History
The party was founded by General Rafael EitanRafael Eitan
Rafael "Raful" Eitan was an Israeli general, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and later a politician, a Knesset member government minister...
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 ran for the 1984 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1984
Elections for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977...
in a joint list with the Tehiya
Tehiya
Tehiya , originally known as Banai , then Tehiya-Bnai , was a small right-wing political party in Israel that existed from 1979 until 1992...
party and Eitan was its only member of the Knesset
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...
. Tzomet and the Tehiya parted way in 1987 and Tzomet ran independently in the 1988 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1988
Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party...
, winning two seats. The party joined 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...
's government in 1990 and Eitan was appointed Minister of Agriculture
Agriculture Minister of Israel
The Agriculture Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. Since 1992 the full title of the position has been the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development , the Development Ministry having been...
. However, the party left the coalition in December 1991 in protest at Shamir's participation in the Madrid Conference
Madrid Conference of 1991
The Madrid Conference was hosted by the government of Spain and co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR. It convened on October 30, 1991 and lasted for three days. It was an early attempt by the international community to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians...
.
In the 1992 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1992
Elections for the thirteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 23 June 1992. The result was a victory for the left, led by Yitzhak Rabin's Labor Party, though their win was at least partially due to several small right-wing parties narrowly failing to cross the electoral threshold and thus effectively...
Tzomet gained eight seats, but were not included in the left-wing coalition. 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
Gonen Segev
Gonen Segev in Kiryat Motzkin is a former Israeli member of Knesset and government minister and pediatrician who was convicted for an attempt of drug smuggling, for forgery and electronic commerce fraud....
, Esther Salmovitz
Esther Salmovitz
Esther Salmovitz is an Israeli lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 1996.-Biography:Born in Romania in 1948, Salomvitz made aliyah to Israel in 1950. After high school she studied real estate law, and took Open University course in history of the...
and Alex Goldfarb - left and founded the Yiud
Yiud
Yiud was a small, short-lived political faction in Israel in the mid-1990s.-Background:The faction was formed on 7 February 1994 during the 13th Knesset when three MKs, Alex Goldfarb, Esther Salmovitz and Gonen Segev broke away from Tzomet, following a disagreement with the party's leader, Rafael...
party (which then also splintered into Atid
Atid (political party)
Atid was a short-lived political faction in Israel in the mid-1990s. It is not related to the modern Atid Ehad party.-Background:The faction was established on 27 November 1995 during the 13th Knesset as a breakaway from Yiud, itself a breakaway from Tzomet following disagreements between party...
. The three left the party because Segev was offered the position of Minister of Energy by Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
if he voted in favour of the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
, 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
Israeli legislative election, 1996
Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the...
it chose to run in a joint list with the Likud
Likud
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...
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
Israeli prime ministerial election, 1996
The first ever election for Prime Minister was held in Israel on 29 May 1996 alongside simultaneous Knesset elections. There were only two candidates: Shimon Peres of the Labour Party and Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud. The result was a surprise win for Netanyahu by a margin of 29,457 votes, less than...
. Eventually, three Tzomet candidates were voted into the Knesset
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...
, though one of them, Moshe Peled, broke away to form his own Mekhora
Mekhora (political party)
-Background:The faction was formed on 4 March 1999, during the 14th Knesset, when MK Moshe Peled, a Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, left Tzomet. The faction immediately merged into Moledet....
faction before joining Moledet
Moledet
Moledet is a small right-wing political party in Israel. It advocates the notion of encouraging voluntary population transfer of the Arab population of the West Bank. Moledet was founded in 1988 by Rehavam Ze'evi, who headed it until his assassination by members of the PFLP in 2001, after which...
.
In the 1999 elections Tzomet ran alone for the Knesset. However, it had lost almost all its support, and won just 4,128 votes, less than 10% of the number needed to cross the 1.5% electoral threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
. After the humiliating defeat, Eitan retired from the political life.
The party continues to exist and has run in the 2003, the 2006 elections, and the 2009 elections
Israeli legislative election, 2009
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
, but won only 2,023, 1,342, and 1,520 votes respectively in the three elections, not meeting the election threshold in any of them.
Knesset members
| Knesset (MKs) |
Knesset Members |
|---|---|
| 11th Israeli legislative election, 1984 Elections for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977... (1) |
Rafael Eitan Rafael Eitan Rafael "Raful" Eitan was an Israeli general, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and later a politician, a Knesset member government minister... |
| 12th Israeli legislative election, 1988 Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party... (2) |
Rafael Eitan, Yoash Tzidon Yoash Tzidon -Biography:Born in Focşani, Romania in 1926, Tzidon made aliyah to Mandate Palestine in 1941. He attended the Hebrew Navy school at the Technion, and later at the Aerial Warfare School in France. Between 1944 and 1948 he was a member of the Palmach, and was involved in illegal Jewish immigration... |
| 13th Israeli legislative election, 1992 Elections for the thirteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 23 June 1992. The result was a victory for the left, led by Yitzhak Rabin's Labor Party, though their win was at least partially due to several small right-wing parties narrowly failing to cross the electoral threshold and thus effectively... (8 –3) |
Pini Badash Pini Badash Pinhas "Pini" Badash is an Israeli politician who has served as mayor of Omer local council since 1990. He was also a member of the Knesset for Tzomet between 1992 and 1998.-Biography:... , Haim Dayan Haim Dayan Haim Dayan is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Tzomet between 1992 and 1999.-Biography:Born in Migdal HaEmek, Dayan served as a commander in the Israel Police at Yokneam, and was chief of the civil guard in Migdal HaEmek. A member of Likud during his youth, he... , Rafael Eitan, Moshe Peled Moshe Peled (politician) Moshe Peled is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Tzomet, Mekhora and Moledet between 1992 and 1999.-Biography:... , Eliezer Sandberg Eliezer Sandberg Eliezer Sandberg is a former Israeli politician who served as a government minister between 2003 and 2004.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Sandberg studied law at Tel Aviv University, gaining an LLB. He joined the Tzomet party, and became a member of its secretariat in 1988. He also served as the party's... – Alex Goldfarb, Esther Salmovitz Esther Salmovitz Esther Salmovitz is an Israeli lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 1996.-Biography:Born in Romania in 1948, Salomvitz made aliyah to Israel in 1950. After high school she studied real estate law, and took Open University course in history of the... , Gonen Segev Gonen Segev Gonen Segev in Kiryat Motzkin is a former Israeli member of Knesset and government minister and pediatrician who was convicted for an attempt of drug smuggling, for forgery and electronic commerce fraud.... (to Yiud Yiud Yiud was a small, short-lived political faction in Israel in the mid-1990s.-Background:The faction was formed on 7 February 1994 during the 13th Knesset when three MKs, Alex Goldfarb, Esther Salmovitz and Gonen Segev broke away from Tzomet, following a disagreement with the party's leader, Rafael... ) |
| 14th Israeli legislative election, 1996 Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the... (3 –1) |
Haim Dayan, Rafael Eitan – Moshe Peled (to Mekhora Mekhora (political party) -Background:The faction was formed on 4 March 1999, during the 14th Knesset, when MK Moshe Peled, a Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, left Tzomet. The faction immediately merged into Moledet.... ) |
External links
- Party history Knesset website
- Israel Today Elections 96 Jewish Agency