Yisrael Beiteinu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yisrael Beiteinu ישראל ביתנו‎
Russian name	Наш Дом Израиль
Leader	Avigdor Lieberman
Founded	1999
Split from	Likud
Headquarters	Jerusalem, Israel
Ideology	Conservatism Nationalism Secularism National liberalism Economic liberalism Russian speakers' interests
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
Knesset	6 / 120
Most MKs	15 (2009)
Least MKs	3 (2003)
Election symbol
ל‎ ل‎

Yisrael Beiteinu (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּיתֵנוּ, lit. 'Israel Our Home') is a political party in Israel. Its name means "Israel Our Home." The party is known for being secular, conservative, and nationalist. This means it supports traditional values, a strong national identity, and a clear separation of religion from government control.

The party first gained support from Israelis who spoke Russian. Many of these people had moved to Israel from the former Soviet Union. Over time, the party has tried to get support from other groups of Israelis too.

Yisrael Beiteinu has strong views on the peace process. They support the idea of two separate states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. However, they suggest a plan where some areas with many Arab residents in Israel would become part of a Palestinian state. In return, some Jewish areas in the West Bank would become part of Israel.

The party also believes that all citizens, including Haredi Jews (a group of very religious Jews), should serve in the military. They also work to help new immigrants find jobs and opportunities.

In 2009, Yisrael Beiteinu won 15 seats in the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament. This was their best result ever. In the 2020 election, they won seven seats. The party leader is Avigdor Lieberman. He has sometimes worked with and sometimes opposed Benjamin Netanyahu, another important Israeli politician.

Party History: How Yisrael Beiteinu Began

Avigdor Lieberman, when he was Israel's Foreign Minister.

Yisrael Beiteinu started in the late 1990s. Avigdor Lieberman was unhappy with how the government was handling talks with the Palestinian Authority. He felt that some agreements did not protect Israel's values.

At that time, many Russian-speaking Israelis felt their political party, Yisrael BaAliyah, wasn't representing their right-wing views well enough. This led to some politicians, like Michael Nudelman and Yuri Stern, leaving their party. They then joined with Lieberman to create Yisrael Beiteinu.

For the 1999 election, Yisrael Beiteinu was formed to represent right-wing Russian-speaking Israelis. The party won four seats in the Knesset. They joined an alliance called the National Union in 2000. This alliance later joined the government led by Ariel Sharon.

However, Yisrael Beiteinu left the government in 2002. They were still unhappy with decisions about giving land to the Palestinian Authority. In the 2003 election, their alliance won seven seats. Lieberman became the Minister of Transport. But they left the government again in 2004 because of a plan to remove Israeli settlements.

In 2006, Yisrael Beiteinu decided to run in elections alone. They believed they would do better by focusing on their own goals. They offered a new peace plan, which became known as the Lieberman plan. This plan involved exchanging land and people.

The 2006 election was a big success for the party. They won 11 seats and joined the government again. However, they had disagreements with other parties. For example, they opposed the appointment of Israel's first Muslim Arab minister. Some of their members made comments that were seen as racist by others.

In 2008, the party left the government again. They were protesting talks with the Palestinian Authority. Lieberman resigned from his position as Minister of Strategic Affairs.

Growth and Challenges: Elections and Alliances

Yisrael Beiteinu party ballot from 2009.

For the 2009 election, Yisrael Beiteinu tried to attract more voters. They added new faces to their list, including Orly Levy and Uzi Landau. Their election slogans, like "No citizenship without loyalty," were seen as controversial by many.

Despite this, the party had its best election ever in 2009. They won 15 seats, becoming the third-largest party. They joined Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Lieberman became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister.

An older Yisrael Beiteinu logo from 2012.

In 2012, Lieberman and Netanyahu announced that their parties, Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud, would run together in the 2013 election. This was called Likud Yisrael Beiteinu. They hoped to create a strong, stable government.

However, this joint list did not do as well as expected. Their combined seats dropped from 42 to 31. Still, they were able to form the new government. Lieberman remained Foreign Minister. The alliance ended in 2014.

The 2015 election was difficult for Yisrael Beiteinu. They lost more than half their strength, winning only 6 seats. This was partly due to a corruption scandal that affected some party members. Lieberman chose to keep his party in the opposition at first. This was because of disagreements with Netanyahu and religious parties.

In 2016, Yisrael Beiteinu joined Netanyahu's government. Lieberman became the Minister of Defense. However, he resigned in 2018 to protest a ceasefire agreement with Gaza. This led to Yisrael Beiteinu leaving the government.

Yisrael Beiteinu logo used in 2019.

New elections were called in April 2019. Yisrael Beiteinu focused on being a party for the "Secular Right." They supported drafting Haredi Jews into the military. They also wanted strong security against Palestinian terrorism. The party won 5 seats. They supported Netanyahu forming a government but refused to join it. They disagreed with religious parties about the Haredi draft law. This led to another election in September 2019.

Before the September 2019 election, Lieberman said Yisrael Beiteinu would only support a national unity government. This government would include Likud and the centrist Blue and White party. He said they would try to keep Haredi parties out of the government.

In the 2020 election, Yisrael Beiteinu won seven seats. They joined the opposition. For the 2021 election, Lieberman said he would not join any government with Haredi parties or one led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The party again won seven seats and joined the government, with Lieberman becoming Finance Minister. In the 2022 election, they won six seats and returned to the opposition.

Party Structure and Goals

The party has a main meeting called the party conference every four years. Members vote for leaders and other important positions. For local elections, Yisrael Beiteinu uses the name of the city they are running in, like "Petah Tikva Our Home." In 2019, the party announced plans to create a group for LGBT members.

What Yisrael Beiteinu Believes In

The party is seen as being in the center-right to right-wing of the political spectrum. This means they generally support less government involvement in the economy and strong national defense.

Main Principles of the Party

Yisrael Beiteinu has 10 main principles, which they call their "ten commandments":

• Strong Security: They believe in taking action to protect Israel, even before threats become big.
• Peace Plan: They want to solve the conflict with Palestinians by exchanging land and populations.
• Citizenship and Loyalty: They believe that everyone who turns 18 should serve in the military or do national service.
• Punishment for Terrorists: They support the death penalty for terrorists.
• Prisoner Exchanges: They want strict rules for exchanging prisoners.
• Unity of People: If there's a choice between having all the land and having a united Jewish people, the unity of the people comes first. This supports the idea of two states.
• Judaism Without Force: They support Jewish traditions but are against forcing religious rules on people.
• Jewish Settlements: They support Jewish communities in disputed areas as part of the Zionist idea.
• Immigration: They believe bringing more Jews to Israel from other countries is a key national goal.
• Basic Needs: They think the government should make sure everyone has food, housing, clothes, education, and healthcare.

Views on Israeli Arabs and Palestinians

One of the party's main ideas is the Lieberman Plan. This plan suggests changing Israel's borders. Areas with many Arab citizens, like the Triangle area, would become part of a future Palestinian state. This would mean most Jews would live in Israel, and most Arabs would live in Palestine. This plan usually means changing borders, not moving people's homes.

Lieberman believes that many Arab residents in Israel see themselves as Palestinians. He thinks they should be encouraged to join the Palestinian Authority. He sees this as a way to create two separate nations. However, he is popular among the Druze people, who serve in the Israeli military.

Yisrael Beiteinu also helped pass a law. This law would fine groups that get state money if they use it to recognize Nakba Day. Nakba Day is a day when Palestinians remember being displaced in 1948. The law also targets events that call for Israel to stop being a Jewish state.

Security Policies

Yisrael Beiteinu supports a tough approach to security. They believe in taking strong action against groups like Hamas. Their security policies include:

• Restarting the policy of targeting and eliminating terror leaders.
• Reducing the money Israel gives to the Palestinian Authority if that money goes to terrorists or their families.
• Stopping the transfer of money from Qatari to Hamas.
• Using the death penalty for terrorists.
• Not returning the bodies of terrorists to their families.
• Destroying the homes of all terrorists, not just those who committed murder.
• Taking away residency from East Jerusalem citizens convicted of terrorism.
• Deporting people who constantly encourage terrorism from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.

Religion and Government

Yisrael Beiteinu believes that religion and nationality are connected in Israel. So, they oppose a complete separation of religion and state. However, they believe religion should not be used for political power or money. Instead, it should be a source of inspiration.

Despite their view on religion and state, the party is seen as supporting secularism in Israel. They strongly oppose the religious policies of Israel's Haredi parties.

Their policies on religion and state include:

• Making military or national service required for all Haredi Jews.
• Allowing city Rabbis to perform conversions, not just the Chief Rabbinate.
• Allowing couples to marry with any Rabbi they choose, no matter where they live.
• Allowing public transportation to run on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) in areas where people want it and where there are not many religious residents.
• Opposing the "Supermarket law," which bans businesses from operating on Shabbat.
• Opposing DNA tests for Jewish converts or for Jews of Russian background.

Economic Policies

Yisrael Beiteinu generally supports a free-market economy. They are against raising taxes. They want fewer government rules and more support for small businesses.

However, they also support increasing spending on healthcare. Their main economic goal is to raise the minimum pension for retired people to 70% of the minimum wage. To help with the housing crisis, they suggest removing taxes on young couples who use their pension money to buy a home.

Knesset Members

Yisrael Beiteinu currently has six members in the Knesset:

Election Results: How the Party Has Performed

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	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	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

See also

In Spanish: Israel Beitenu para niños