Kulanu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kulanu כולנו‎
Leader	Moshe Kahlon
Founded	27 November 2014
Split from	Likud, Kadima
Merged into	Likud
Ideology	Economic egalitarianism Consumer protection Social liberalism
Political position	Center to center-right
National affiliation	Likud (2019–2020)
Colours	Sky blue
Most MKs	10 (2015)
Election symbol
כ‎

Kulanu (Hebrew: כולנו, lit. 'All of Us') was a centrist political party in Israel. It was started by Moshe Kahlon. The party mainly focused on economic issues and making life more affordable for people.

History of Kulanu

The Kulanu party was created on November 27, 2014. This happened after many people wondered if Moshe Kahlon would start a new party. He had taken a break from politics in 2013.

Before the party was officially named, surveys in 2014 suggested that a new party led by Kahlon could win 5 to 8 seats in the Knesset. The Knesset is Israel's parliament. When Kulanu was formed, its official papers listed Kahlon, Orna Angel, and Avi Gabbay as its founders.

On December 10, 2014, the party announced its name: Kulanu, which means "All of Us" in Hebrew. After it was named, early surveys showed it could win 10 to 13 seats. Some even thought that if Kulanu joined with another party, Yesh Atid, they could win 24 seats. This would have made them the largest group in the Knesset. However, Kahlon and Yesh Atid's leader, Yair Lapid, both said they would not join forces.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly offered Kahlon the job of Finance Minister if Kulanu joined his party, Likud. Kahlon said no to this offer. On the day of the 2015 Israeli elections, Likud admitted to making a fake recording of Kahlon. This recording made it sound like Kahlon supported Netanyahu. It was sent to voters the night before the election. Kahlon called this "criminal" and asked for an investigation.

What Kulanu Believed In

Moshe Kahlon was known for wanting a fairer economy. He cared about issues that affected middle-class families. He also had strong support from working-class people. Kahlon himself came from a family of immigrants from Libya who did not have much money. His main supporters were often Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

Kulanu presented itself as a centrist party. This means it tried to find a middle ground in politics. It aimed to appeal to people who wanted popular changes and those who supported social freedoms.

When Kahlon was the communications minister, he became very popular. He made mobile phone prices much lower by bringing in new companies to compete. He hoped to do the same for banks and housing. His main goals were to fight poverty, reduce the gap between rich and poor, and solve the housing crisis. His plan was to break up big companies that had too much control and lower the high cost of living.

Kahlon used to have strong views on security. But later, he suggested he might support giving up some land for a two-state solution. This is a plan for two separate states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. He said he was "a product of the Likud" party, but that his "worldview is center, slightly leaning to the right."

Economic Ideas

Kulanu's economic plan focused on making society more equal. Here are some of their ideas:

• Housing:
  • Make it easier to build homes and remove rules that slow down construction. Their goal was to build 250,000 new homes.
  • Put all housing agencies under one main authority.
  • Break up large organizations and companies that controlled too much of the real estate market.
  • Control how much landlords can charge for rent.
• Banking and Money:
  • Limit how much banks could earn. They wanted to do this by helping smaller banks grow and by separating banks from credit card companies.
  • Create an inheritance tax of 20% to 25% on very large amounts of money left behind after someone dies.
• Other Economic Issues:
  • Increase competition in the food industry to lower prices.
  • Stop monopolies from controlling natural gas production.
  • Improve competition and make changes to the Israel Electric Corporation.
  • Change how fees are paid for managing pension funds, so employees have more choices.

Foreign Policy Ideas

Even though Kahlon was once part of the right-wing Likud party, his ideas on foreign policy were more moderate. He said that the "real Likud" knows how to make peace and give up land. Kahlon believed that actions by Palestinians against Israel in international groups were not helpful for peace. However, he said Kulanu would support a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, joined the party. He brought experience in foreign policy. Kulanu's main focus was on the cost of living, not the peace process. Oren supported stopping new building outside major Israeli settlements to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive. He also wanted to improve conditions in the West Bank.

Other Important Issues

Kulanu supported these ideas:

• Civil marriage in Israel, which means marriage performed by the state, not just religious authorities. This included marriage for same-sex couples.
• More government money for Jewish groups that are not Orthodox.
• Allowing some public transportation to run on Saturdays (the Jewish day of rest).

Kulanu was against these ideas:

• The nation-state bill, which defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
• Attempts to reduce the power of the Supreme Court of Israel.

Kulanu in the Knesset

Kulanu first ran in the election for the 20th Knesset of Israel. It became the fifth-largest party. It received 315,202 votes, which was about 7.49% of all votes. This earned the party 10 seats out of 120 in the Knesset.

Kulanu was the only centrist party to join Netanyahu's fourth government. In talks to form the government, Kulanu gained control of important ministries. These included the Finance Ministry, the Construction and Housing Ministry, and the Environmental Protection Ministry. They also got control of the Israel Land Authority and the Planning Authority. Kahlon also stopped two proposed laws that aimed to weaken the Supreme Court.

In 2016, a member of the Knesset from Kulanu, Yoav Gallant, wrote about how important it was for Jewish and Arab leaders to work together for peace and equality in Israel. He and MK Ayman Odeh, an Arab party leader, visited Arab towns together. They wanted to understand the challenges faced by Arab Israeli communities and find solutions.

Leaders of Kulanu

Leader			Took office	Left office
		Moshe Kahlon	2014	2019

Election Results

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
2015	Moshe Kahlon	315,360	7.49 (#5)	10 / 120		Coalition
Apr 2019		152,756	3.54 (#10)	4 / 120	6	Caretaker

Images for kids

• 

  The logo of the Kulanu party.

See also

In Spanish: Kulanu (partido político) para niños