State of Israel |
---|
![]() |
Yisrael Beytenu ( Hebrew: "Israel Our Home") is a right-wing political party in Israel with support from Jewish Russian immigrants to Israel who came from the lands of the former Soviet Union. It takes a very hard line against the Arabs and Palestinians. One of its founders and leaders is Avigdor Liberman a former member of the Likud.
Yisrael Beiteinu was formed by Liberman in order to create a plank for Russian immigrants who support a hard line in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Much of his motivation was inspired by the concessions granted by his former boss when he was director-general of the Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the Palestinian Authority in the 1997 Wye River Plantation Accord that included the division of the West Bank city of Hebron.
One of the partners in Netanyahu's coalition was Yisrael Ba'aliya, a new immigrants' list led by Anatoly Natan Scharansky that also had right-wing leanings. Liberman himself had resigned from the Likud as a result of the Wye Accord, and he registered great disappointment when Scharansky did not, as did two of Scharansky's colleagues in Yisrael Ba'aliya, Michael Nudelman and Yuri Shtern, both of whom broke from that faction to form Alia-for a Renewed Israel.
In the 1999 race for the 15th Knesset, Liberman and Alia formed Yisrael Beiteinu, and the list won four seats, two short of Scharansky, though later two more members of Yisrael Ba'aliya would defect to the left leaving Liberman and Scharansky equal. Since then the party has joined in a coalition with the National Union party of Benny Elon and Zvi Hendel in a coalition that lasted through the 2003 elections, although shortly after the two groups parted ways when the National Union joined Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition. In the current 2006 Knesset Elections Liberman is attempting to organize a united list of Yisrael Beiteinu, Ichud Leumi, the National Religious Party, and possibly even the Likud. If the plan falls through Yisrael Beiteinu would run alone, and probably will do very well as they would fill the void left when Scharansky resigned from the government in May 2005.
Essentially, the two key principles held by the movement are the creation of an encouraging socio-economic environment for new immigrants to Israel, while at the same time taking a hard line on all negotiations with the Palestinians and other Arab states. Part of the academic argument in the movement's platform are the numerous studies published by faculties in Israel that warn of a danger posed by the rising percentage of Arabs in the state's population to the Jewish character of it. The only solution, argue many of their supporters, is an increased effort to bring more Jews to Israel by immigration, and/or convincing as many Arab Israelis to leave. By giving in to Yasser Arafat's demands, argued Liberman, the government would aggravate the threat by strengthening the Palestinians' resolve to demand the Right of Return of Palestinian refugee families to Israeli territory.
The party came to attention in 2005 by proposing the Liberman Plan, an alternative to the Gaza Withdrawal plan that would see large blocs of land in pre-1967 Israel bordering the West Bank and Gaza populated by Arabs transferred to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for recognition of Israeli sovereignity in the larger settlements including Gush Katif which was evacuated by the withdrawal. The areas that were to be transferred to the PA included the "triangle" in central Israel of Taibe, Tira, and Umm el-Fahm. Though the plan was condemned by most members in the Knesset as racist, it broke with a long tradition on the Israeli far right that saw "transfer" (i.e. expulsion) of minority populations between states as the only solution. It was also the first proposal for the transfer of pre-1967 lands to the PA in exchange for peace. The Liberman plan also caused a stir among Israeli Arabs, many of whom identify with the Palestinians as compatriots, yet at the same time call for equal status in Israel as citizens, what Yisrael Beiteinu states is a trojan horse for Israel of citizens with dual loyalty.
One advantage that the party has over its rivals on the right is the fact that it was never a member of the Sharon government in the last Knesset. This puts them a leg up on the National Union and the Mafdal which many right-wingers viewed as fools for trusting Sharon.