Likud (27 seats)
The party historically supported the right of the Jewish people to settle between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and highlighted the strategic importance of the land for Israel. Two Likud prime ministers, Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon, played pivotal roles in the establishment of settlements, but also were the only prime ministers to uproot entire settlements (though Sharon had to leave the party and establish Kadima in order to do so). During his first tenure as prime minister, from 1996-1999, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government supported settlement activity while signing the Wye River Accord, a land-for-peace deal exchanging portions of the West Bank. In the 2009 elections, the Likud platform discounted future unilateral withdrawals but supported the possibility of concessions for peace as part of an agreement. Since taking office in March, Netanyahu has committed to stopping construction of new settlements while approving construction for “natural growth.” The recent discussion of the possibility of a settlement freeze has highlighted divisions within the party, with ministers Benny Begin and Moshe Ya’alon opposing even a temporary settlement freeze.
Coalition Partners
Yisrael Beiteinu (15 seats)
Former Likud member Avigdor Lieberman, who lives in a settlement, founded the party in 1999. Unlike other right-wing parties, Yisrael Beiteinu supports a two-state solution and is not focused on religious or strategic qualities of the West Bank. Instead, it proposes a land swap that would maintain Israel’s Jewish demography. This swap would annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank in return for ceding Arab majority areas in Israel to the Palestinian Authority. Many experts contend this move would be illegal. Sharon fired Lieberman from his cabinet in 2004 for opposing the disengagement plan from Gaza and four West Bank settlements.
Labor (13 seats)
The party supports the incorporation of large settlement blocs into Israel, the cessation of construction in West Bank settlements and the removal of isolated settlements and unauthorized outposts. However, settlement growth historically began and grew during periods when Labor led the government. At the end of June, Labor Party leader and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak confirmed that he had legalized ex post facto 60 apartments initially built without government approval. There is division within the party as four party Knesset members object to Labor joining Netanyahu’s right-wing government and his settlement policies.
Shas (11 seats)
Comprised mostly of ultra-Orthodox Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, Shas’ platform is primarily concerned with defining the state as Jewish and safeguarding Jewish principles within the government. The party’s platform permits compromise on territorial issues when life is threatened or if the exchange is reciprocal. Shas strongly opposed disengagement from settlements in Gaza and the West Bank in 2005, but helped facilitate the Oslo Accords. In response to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for a freeze on new settlement construction in June, Interior Minister and Shas Chairman Eli Yishai instructed ministry officials to find loopholes to continue construction within the major settlement blocs.
Habayit Hayehudi (3 seats)
Habayit Hayehudi grew primarily from the National Religious Party (NRP), a key proponent of the settler movement that attached religious significance to the existence of settlements. Like its predecessor, the party’s platform states that only Israel should exist between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea with Jordan as the state of the Palestinians. It supports a peace settlement with the Arab world that gives Israel control of the West Bank and the Golan Heights and thus argues that Israeli settlements should continue to be built with governmental support and should not be given up in an agreement.
Main opposition party
Kadima (28 seats)
Formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2005 to promote a policy of unilateral disengagement from the settlements in Gaza, Kadima incorporated members from various parties, including Likud and Labor. Kadima’s platform seeks to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel through territorial concessions, while preserving Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and most Jewish settlers, particularly those in the major Jewish settlement blocs. Settlement activity continued under the previous Kadima-led Olmert government. The party has recently held meetings to determine its stances on issues related to peace process, but there are differing opinions within the party on the question of natural growth in settlements.
