Yisrael Beiteinu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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| Leader | Avigdor Lieberman |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Split from | Likud |
| Headquarters | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Ideology |
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| Political position | Right-wing to far-right |
| Knesset |
6 / 120
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| Election symbol | |
| ל ل |
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Yisrael Beiteinu (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּיתֵנוּ, which means Israel Our Home) is a conservative political party in Israel. The party was originally very popular with secular (non-religious) immigrants who spoke Russian. Today, it tries to appeal to more Israelis.
The party follows the ideas of Zev Jabotinsky, who was the founder of Revisionist Zionism. This is a form of Zionism that believes in a strong Jewish state. Yisrael Beiteinu has strong opinions about the peace process with the Palestinians and the role of Israeli Arabs.
One of its main ideas is the Lieberman Plan. This plan suggests creating a Palestinian state and swapping land. Some areas of Israel with large Arab populations would become part of the new Palestinian state. In return, some areas of the West Bank with large Jewish populations would become part of Israel.
The party is also known for being anti-clerical, which means it opposes religious leaders having too much power in government. It supports requiring Haredi Jews (ultra-Orthodox Jews) to serve in the military. It also works to help new immigrants succeed in Israel.
Contents
History of the Party
Yisrael Beiteinu was founded in 1999 by Avigdor Lieberman. At the time, Lieberman was unhappy with the government's negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Many Russian-speaking Israelis felt the same way. They wanted a new party to represent their right-wing views.
In the 1999 election, the new party won four seats in the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament. For a while, it joined with another group of right-wing parties called the National Union. Together, they joined the government led by Ariel Sharon in 2001.
Growing on Its Own
By 2006, Yisrael Beiteinu decided to run in the elections by itself. The party believed it could get more votes by focusing on secular, Russian-speaking voters. This turned out to be a good decision. The party won 11 seats, a big success for them.
During this time, the party introduced its famous peace plan, the Lieberman Plan. This plan is based on the idea of swapping land and populations to create clearer borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state.
In 2007, the party had a major disagreement with its coalition partner, the Labor Party. The Labor Party nominated Raleb Majadele to be a government minister, making him Israel's first Muslim Arab minister. Lieberman strongly opposed this. In 2008, Yisrael Beiteinu left the government because it disagreed with peace talks with the Palestinians.
Reaching Peak Popularity
The 2009 election was the party's most successful ever. It used slogans like "No citizenship without loyalty." The party won 15 seats, making it the third-largest in the Knesset. It joined the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and Lieberman became the Foreign Affairs Minister.
In 2012, Yisrael Beiteinu and Netanyahu's Likud party decided to run together in the next election. They created a joint list called Likud Yisrael Beiteinu. The combined list won 31 seats, which was fewer than they had separately. The two parties split up again in 2014.
Recent Years
The 2015 elections were difficult for the party. It lost more than half of its seats, winning only six. For a while, it stayed out of the government. In 2016, it joined Netanyahu's coalition, and Lieberman became the Minister of Defense.
In 2018, Lieberman resigned from the government to protest a ceasefire with Gaza. This led to new elections in April 2019. The party focused its campaign on being a "Secular Right" party. It highlighted the issue of making Haredi Jews serve in the military.
After the April 2019 election, Lieberman refused to join Netanyahu's government because of disagreements with the Haredi parties. This caused another election to be held in September 2019. Since then, Yisrael Beiteinu has often been in the opposition. In 2021, it joined a new government, and Lieberman became the Finance Minister. In the 2022 election, the party won six seats and is currently in the opposition.
What the Party Believes In
The party's platform is based on ten main principles. Here are some of the most important ones:
- A strong security policy that includes taking action first.
- Solving the conflict with the Palestinians by exchanging land and populations.
- Requiring everyone to do military or national service at age 18.
- Supporting Jewish settlements.
- Helping Jews from around the world immigrate to Israel.
- Making sure the government provides five basic needs: food, housing, clothing, education, and healthcare.
Israeli Arabs and Palestinians
The party's most well-known policy is the Lieberman Plan. This plan suggests redrawing Israel's borders. Areas with large Arab populations, like the Triangle, would become part of a future Palestinian state. The goal is to have most Jews living in Israel and most Arabs living in Palestine. The party says this would be a peaceful way to separate the two groups.
However, the party is popular with the Druze community. The Druze are an Arabic-speaking group, and their men are required to serve in the Israeli army. A Druze candidate, Hamad Amar, was elected to the Knesset on the party's list.
Religion and Government
Yisrael Beiteinu is considered a secular party. It believes that religion should not be involved in politics. The party wants to reduce the power of religious authorities in the government.
Some of its key policies on religion include:
- Making military or national service mandatory for Haredi Jews.
- Allowing city Rabbis to perform Jewish conversions, which is currently only done by the Chief Rabbinate.
- Allowing public transportation to run on Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest) in areas where people want it.
- Opposing laws that force businesses to close on Shabbat.
Election Results
This table shows how many seats Yisrael Beiteinu has won in the Knesset in each election.
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Avigdor Lieberman | 86,153 | 2.6 (#13) |
4 / 120
|
New | Opposition |
| 2003 | Part of the National Union |
3 / 120
|
 1 |
Coalition | ||
| 2006 | 281,880 | 8.99 (#5) |
11 / 120
|
 8 |
Coalition | |
| 2009 | 394,577 | 11.70 (#3) |
15 / 120
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4 |
Coalition | |
| 2013 | With Likud |
13 / 120
|
2 |
Coalition | ||
| 2015 | 214,906 | 5.11 (#8) |
6 / 120
|
7 |
Opposition (2015–2016) | |
| Coalition (2016–2018) | ||||||
| Opposition (2018–2019) | ||||||
| Apr 2019 | 173,004 | 4.01 (#7) |
5 / 120
|
1 |
Snap election | |
| Sep 2019 | 310,154 | 6.99 (#5) |
8 / 120
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3 |
Snap election | |
| 2020 | 263,365 | 5.74 (#7) |
7 / 120
|
1 |
Opposition | |
| 2021 | 248,370 | 5.63 (#8) |
7 / 120
|
 |
Coalition | |
| 2022 | 213,655 | 4.49 (#7) |
6 / 120
|
1 |
Opposition | |
Images for kids
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A Yisrael Beiteinu party ballot from the 2009 election.
See also
In Spanish: Israel Beitenu para niños
