Democratic Movement for Change
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Movement for Change , commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash (Hebrew: ד"ש) was a short-lived and initially highly-successful centrist political party in Israel
. Formed in 1976 by numerous well-known non-politicians, following a spectacular breakup, it had ceased to exist within less than two years.
), together with numerous public figures, including Yigael Yadin
, Amnon Rubinstein
, Shmuel Tamir
, Meir Amit
, Meir Zorea
and several other business leaders and academics, as well as some Israeli Arabs.
The party's formation was the result of a growing dissatisfation with the mainstream parties, particularly the ruling Alignment
, which, including its predecessors, had ruled Israel since independence in 1948. Starting with the Yom Kippur War
, the Alignment had been hit with numerous scandals during the mid-1970s, including:
Initially the party was called Democrats-Shinui (Hebrew: דמוקרטים-שינוי, Democratim-Shinui), but was soon changed to the Democratic Movement for Change and, as with many parties in Israel, became popularly known by its acronym, Dash. The new party caught the public's imagination, with over 37,000 people signing up as members within a few weeks of its foundation. It also pioneered the use of primaries
to choose its electoral list, something that was intended to show its democratic credentials and prevent cronyism. Previously in Israel, party lists had been decided upon by the parties' committees, but since the late 1970s, almost every party in Israel (with the exception of the Haredi ones, Shas
and United Torah Judaism
) has followed Dash's lead and adopted the primaries system.
Dash did surprisingly well in its first electoral test, picking up 15 of the 120 seats in the Knesset
, the best performance by a third party since the 1961 elections
. This made it the third largest party after Menachem Begin
's Likud
and the Alignment, which had shrunk from 51 to 32 seats. However, Begin was still able to form a narrow 61-seat right-wing coalition with Shlomtzion (Ariel Sharon
's party), the National Religious Party
and Agudat Israel
.
The party was invited into the coalition in November 1977, five months after the Knesset term had started. The party picked up several ministerial portfolios - Meir Amit
was made Minister of Transportation and Minister of Communications, Shmuel Tamir
became Minister of Justice and Yadin was named as Deputy Prime Minister.
However, the fact that the party did not control the balance of power led to internal disagreements over its role. The party began to disintegrate, finally splitting in three on 14 September 1978, with seven MKs breaking away to reform Shinui
, another seven founding the Democratic Movement
and Assaf Yaguri
creating Ya'ad
. Shinui (including Amit) and Ya'ad left the coalition, whilst the Democratic Movement, which included Tamir and Yadin, remained in the government.
Nonetheless, even the new parties were not stable, with the Democratic Movement also crumbling. In 1980, three of its seven members left to found Ahva
and Mordechai Elgrably
quit the party to sit as an independent (he later joined Equality in Israel – Panthers to create the Unity Party
). Four months before the 1981 elections the party folded, with Tamir, Yadin, and Binyamin Halevi sitting as independents for the rest of the Knesset term. Tamir lost his ministerial position in 1980, though Yadin remained Deputy PM. Ahva also followed the breakup pattern, losing two of its three MKs before the Knesset term ended.
Further changes occurred when two Shinui MKs defected to the Alignment and two of the three Ahva MKs left the party.
, which reappeared in the next Knesset
, the only party emerging from Dash to do so. It eventually merged with Mapam
and Ratz to form Meretz
in 1992, before breaking away again under Avraham Poraz
in the mid 1990s during the 14th Knesset
.
Ironically, Shinui itself met an almost identical fate to its ancestor. In the 2003 elections it won a massive 15 seats (a jump from six in the previous election), making it the third largest party after Likud
and Labour
. The party joined Ariel Sharon's coalition, but left in late 2005 after disagreements over the budget. Before the 2006 elections it split into three after most of its MKs were defeated in internal party elections, and none of the new parties won a seat in the elections. With the advent of the centrist Kadima
and the new-found success of Gil, none of the new parties are likely to reappear in the next Knesset, whenever elections are held.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Formed in 1976 by numerous well-known non-politicians, following a spectacular breakup, it had ceased to exist within less than two years.
Background
Dash was formed on 2 November 1976 by the merger of several liberal movements (including ShinuiShinui
Shinui is a Zionist, secular and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977 the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for...
), together with numerous public figures, including Yigael Yadin
Yigael Yadin
Yigael Yadin on 21 March 1917, died 28 June 1984) was an Israeli archeologist, politician, and the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.-Early life and military career:...
, Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein is an Israeli law scholar, politician, and columnist. A member of the Knesset between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions. He is currently dean of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and a patron of Liberal International.-Early life:Rubinstein was born...
, Shmuel Tamir
Shmuel Tamir
Shmuel M. Tamir was a prominent Israeli independence fighter, lawyer, Knesset member from 1965 to 1980, and Minister of Justice in the government of Menachem Begin from 1977 until 1980-Irgun:...
, Meir Amit
Meir Amit
Meir Amit was an Israeli politician and general. He served as Director of the Mossad from 1963 to 1968 before entering politics and holding two ministerial positions.-Biography:...
, Meir Zorea
Meir Zorea
Meir "Zarro" Zorea MC was a general in the Israel Defense Forces and later a member of the Knesset. He earned distinction through his combat actions in World War II and in the Israeli War of Independence...
and several other business leaders and academics, as well as some Israeli Arabs.
The party's formation was the result of a growing dissatisfation with the mainstream parties, particularly the ruling Alignment
Alignment (political party)
The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party...
, which, including its predecessors, had ruled Israel since independence in 1948. Starting with the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, the Alignment had been hit with numerous scandals during the mid-1970s, including:
- The suicide of Housing Minister, Avraham OferAvraham OferAvraham Ofer was an Israeli politician, famous for committing suicide following the eruption of a corruption scandal.- Biography :Ofer was born in the Khorostkov shtetl in Poland in 1922, and immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1933. He went to High School in Jerusalem and studied in the Hebrew...
, after a police investigation began into allegations he used party funds illegally. - Asher Yadlin, the governor-designate of the Bank of IsraelBank of IsraelThe Bank of Israel is the central bank of Israel. It is located in Kiryat HaMemshala in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem, with a branch office in Tel Aviv. The current governor is Stanley Fischer.-History:...
was found guilty of accepting bribes and sentenced to five years in prison (the Yadlin affairYadlin affairThe Yadlin Affair refers to a political corruption scandal that broke in Israel in 1976, involving senior members of the Labor Party...
). - Leah Rabin, wife of Prime MinisterPrime Minister of IsraelThe Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Yitzhak RabinYitzhak Rabin' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
was found to have an overseas bank account, illegal in Israel at the time (the Dollar Account affairDollar Account affairThe Dollar Account affair was a political scandal in Israel in 1977, following the exposure of an illegal US Dollar bank account held by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his wife Leah...
).
Initially the party was called Democrats-Shinui (Hebrew: דמוקרטים-שינוי, Democratim-Shinui), but was soon changed to the Democratic Movement for Change and, as with many parties in Israel, became popularly known by its acronym, Dash. The new party caught the public's imagination, with over 37,000 people signing up as members within a few weeks of its foundation. It also pioneered the use of primaries
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to choose its electoral list, something that was intended to show its democratic credentials and prevent cronyism. Previously in Israel, party lists had been decided upon by the parties' committees, but since the late 1970s, almost every party in Israel (with the exception of the Haredi ones, Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
and United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism is an alliance of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel, two small Israeli Haredi political parties in the Knesset. It was first formed in 1992.The two parties have not always agreed with each other about policy matters...
) has followed Dash's lead and adopted the primaries system.
Dash did surprisingly well in its first electoral test, picking up 15 of the 120 seats in the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
, the best performance by a third party since the 1961 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1961
Elections for the fifth Knesset were held in Israel on 15 August 1961. Voter turnout was 81.6%.-Results:¹ Eight MKs broke away from Mapai to establish Rafi² Herut and the Liberal Party merged to form Gahal...
. This made it the third largest party after Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
's Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
and the Alignment, which had shrunk from 51 to 32 seats. However, Begin was still able to form a narrow 61-seat right-wing coalition with Shlomtzion (Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
's party), the National Religious Party
National Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
and Agudat Israel
Agudat Israel
Agudat Yisrael began as the original political party representing the ultra-Orthodox population of Israel. It was the umbrella party for almost all ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, and before that in the British Mandate of Palestine...
.
The party was invited into the coalition in November 1977, five months after the Knesset term had started. The party picked up several ministerial portfolios - Meir Amit
Meir Amit
Meir Amit was an Israeli politician and general. He served as Director of the Mossad from 1963 to 1968 before entering politics and holding two ministerial positions.-Biography:...
was made Minister of Transportation and Minister of Communications, Shmuel Tamir
Shmuel Tamir
Shmuel M. Tamir was a prominent Israeli independence fighter, lawyer, Knesset member from 1965 to 1980, and Minister of Justice in the government of Menachem Begin from 1977 until 1980-Irgun:...
became Minister of Justice and Yadin was named as Deputy Prime Minister.
However, the fact that the party did not control the balance of power led to internal disagreements over its role. The party began to disintegrate, finally splitting in three on 14 September 1978, with seven MKs breaking away to reform Shinui
Shinui
Shinui is a Zionist, secular and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977 the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for...
, another seven founding the Democratic Movement
Democratic Movement (Israel)
The Democratic Movement was a short-lived political party in Israel formed in the aftermath of the spectacular breakup of Dash. Founded in 1978, it lasted only until 1981.-Background:...
and Assaf Yaguri
Assaf Yaguri
Assaf Yaguri was an Israeli soldier and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Democratic Movement for Change and Ya'ad between 1977 and 1981.-Biography:...
creating Ya'ad
Ya'ad (political party)
Ya'ad was a short-lived, one-man political party in Israel. It is not related to the other political party of the same name, Ya'ad – Civil Rights Movement.-Background:...
. Shinui (including Amit) and Ya'ad left the coalition, whilst the Democratic Movement, which included Tamir and Yadin, remained in the government.
Nonetheless, even the new parties were not stable, with the Democratic Movement also crumbling. In 1980, three of its seven members left to found Ahva
Ahva (political party)
Ahva was a short-lived political party in Israel, one of several spinoffs created by the collapse of Dash.-Background:Ahva was formed on 8 July 1980 when two MKs broke away from the Democratic Movement, itself a relatively new party, having been formed in 1978 when Dash split up...
and Mordechai Elgrably
Mordechai Elgrably
Mordechai Elgrably is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for several parties between 1977 and 1981.-Biography:Born in Meknes in Morocco, Elgrably received a religious education and was a member of the scout movement...
quit the party to sit as an independent (he later joined Equality in Israel – Panthers to create the Unity Party
Unity Party (Israel)
The Unity Party , officially the Unity Party for the Advancement and Education of the Society in Israel and originally known as Equality in Israel – Panthers was a short-lived political party in...
). Four months before the 1981 elections the party folded, with Tamir, Yadin, and Binyamin Halevi sitting as independents for the rest of the Knesset term. Tamir lost his ministerial position in 1980, though Yadin remained Deputy PM. Ahva also followed the breakup pattern, losing two of its three MKs before the Knesset term ended.
Further changes occurred when two Shinui MKs defected to the Alignment and two of the three Ahva MKs left the party.
Aftermath
The only long-lasting faction of the collapse was ShinuiShinui
Shinui is a Zionist, secular and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977 the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for...
, which reappeared in the next Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1981
Elections for the tenth Knesset were held in Israel on 30 June 1981. Despite last minute polls suggesting a victory for Shimon Peres's Alignment, Menachem Begin's Likud won by just one seat...
, the only party emerging from Dash to do so. It eventually merged with Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
and Ratz to form Meretz
Meretz-Yachad
New Movement-Meretz , previously known as Meretz, then Yachad, and then Meretz-Yachad is a left-wing, Zionist, social democratic political party in Israel....
in 1992, before breaking away again under Avraham Poraz
Avraham Poraz
Avraham Poraz is an Israeli lawyer and former politician.- Biography :Poraz was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1945 and immigrated to Israel in 1950...
in the mid 1990s during the 14th Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1996
Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the...
.
Ironically, Shinui itself met an almost identical fate to its ancestor. In the 2003 elections it won a massive 15 seats (a jump from six in the previous election), making it the third largest party after Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
and Labour
Labor (Israel)
The Israeli Labor Party , commonly known as HaAvoda , is a social-democratic and labour Zionist political party in Israel. The party is an observer member of both Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists. The Israeli Labor Party was established in 1968 by a merger of Mapai,...
. The party joined Ariel Sharon's coalition, but left in late 2005 after disagreements over the budget. Before the 2006 elections it split into three after most of its MKs were defeated in internal party elections, and none of the new parties won a seat in the elections. With the advent of the centrist Kadima
Kadima
Kadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...
and the new-found success of Gil, none of the new parties are likely to reappear in the next Knesset, whenever elections are held.
Knesset members
| Knesset (MKs) |
Knesset Members |
|---|---|
| 9th Israeli legislative election, 1977 The Elections for the ninth Knesset were held on 17 May 1977. For the first time in Israeli political history, the right-wing, led by Likud, won the election, ending almost 30 years of rule by the left-wing Alignment and its predecessor, Mapai... (15) |
Meir Amit Meir Amit Meir Amit was an Israeli politician and general. He served as Director of the Mossad from 1963 to 1968 before entering politics and holding two ministerial positions.-Biography:... , Shafik Asaad Shafik Asaad Shafik Assad was an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Democratic Movement for Change, the Democratic Movement, Ahva and Telem between 1977 and 1981.-Biography:... , Zeidan Atashi Zeidan Atashi Zeidan Atashi is an Israeli Druze former diplomat and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Democratic Movement for Change and Shinui between 1977 and 1981, and again from 1984 until 1988.-Biography:... , Mordechai Elgrably Mordechai Elgrably Mordechai Elgrably is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for several parties between 1977 and 1981.-Biography:Born in Meknes in Morocco, Elgrably received a religious education and was a member of the scout movement... , David Golomb David Golomb David Golomb is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment, Labor Party, Democratic Movement for Change and Shinui in two spells between 1968 and 1969, and again from 1977 until 1981.-Biography:... , Binyamin Halevi, Akiva Nof Akiva Nof Akiva Nof is a former Israeli politician and song-writer, who served as a member of the Knesset for five parties between 1974 and 1984.-Biography:... , Amnon Rubinstein Amnon Rubinstein Amnon Rubinstein is an Israeli law scholar, politician, and columnist. A member of the Knesset between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions. He is currently dean of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and a patron of Liberal International.-Early life:Rubinstein was born... , Shmuel Tamir Shmuel Tamir Shmuel M. Tamir was a prominent Israeli independence fighter, lawyer, Knesset member from 1965 to 1980, and Minister of Justice in the government of Menachem Begin from 1977 until 1980-Irgun:... , Shmuel Toledano Shmuel Toledano Shmuel Toledano is an Israeli former Mossad employee and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Democratic Movement for Change and Shinui between 1977 and 1981.- Biography :... , Mordechai Virshubski Mordechai Virshubski Mordechai Virshubski is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for several parties between 1977 and 1992.-Biography:... , Stef Wertheimer Stef Wertheimer Stef Wertheimer is a German-born Israeli entrepreneur and industrialist, a former Member of the Knesset, and is well known for founding industrial parks in Israel and neighboring countries.-Early life:Wertheimer was born in Kippenheim, Germany... , Yigael Yadin Yigael Yadin Yigael Yadin on 21 March 1917, died 28 June 1984) was an Israeli archeologist, politician, and the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.-Early life and military career:... , Assaf Yaguri Assaf Yaguri Assaf Yaguri was an Israeli soldier and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Democratic Movement for Change and Ya'ad between 1977 and 1981.-Biography:... , Meir Zorea Meir Zorea Meir "Zarro" Zorea MC was a general in the Israel Defense Forces and later a member of the Knesset. He earned distinction through his combat actions in World War II and in the Israeli War of Independence... (replaced by Shlomo Eliyahu Shlomo Eliyahu Shlomo Eliahu is an Israeli businessman and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1978 and 1981.-Biography:Born in Baghdad in 1936, Eliahu made aliyah to Israel in 1950 with his parents and eight siblings. After initially being based in a ma'abara at Beit Lid, his family... ) |
External links
- Democratic Movement for Change (DMC) Knesset website