Hadash
Encyclopedia
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i parliament. It currently has four members in the 120-seat Knesset.
Background
The party was formed on 15 March 1977 when the Rakah and Non-Partisans parliamentary group changed its name to Hadash in preparation for the 1977 electionsIsraeli 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...
. The non-partisans included some members of the Black Panthers (several others joined the Left Camp of Israel
Left Camp of Israel
The Left Camp of Israel was a left-wing political party in Israel. It was also known as Sheli , an acronym for Peace for Israel .-Background:...
) and other left-wing non-communist groups. Within the Hadash movement, Rakah (which was renamed Maki, a Hebrew acronym for Israeli Communist Party, in 1989) has retained its independent status.
In its first electoral test, Hadash won five seats, an increase of one on Rakah's previous four. However, in the next elections in 1981
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 party was reduced to four seats. It maintained its four seats in the 1984 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1984
Elections for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977...
, gaining another MK when Mohammed Wattad defected from Mapam in 1988. The 1988 election
Israeli legislative election, 1988
Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party...
resulted in another four-seat haul, though the party lost a seat when Charlie Biton
Charlie Biton
Charlie-Shalom Biton is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash and the Black Panthers between 1977 and 1992.-Biography:Born in Casablanca in Morocco, Biton made aliyah to Israel in 1949 at the age of two...
broke away to establish Black Panthers as an independent faction on 25 December 1990. The 1992 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1992
Elections for the thirteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 23 June 1992. The result was a victory for the left, led by Yitzhak Rabin's Labor Party, though their win was at least partially due to several small right-wing parties narrowly failing to cross the electoral threshold and thus effectively...
saw the party remain at three seats.
In the 1996 elections
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...
the party ran a joint list with Balad. Together they won five seats, but split during the Knesset term, with Hadash reduced to three seats. The 1999 elections saw them maintain three seats, with Barakeh and Issam Makhoul
Issam Makhoul
Issam Makhoul is an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1999 and 2006. As the Secretary General of Maki, and together with the Central Committee of the party, he directs all communist activities in Israel as well as being responsible for relationships...
replacing Ahmad Sa'd
Ahmad Sa'd
Dr. Ahmad Sa'd was an Israeli Arab journalist and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1996 and 1999. He later served as editor of the Israeli-Arab newspaper Al-Ittihad.-Biography:...
and Saleh Saleem
Saleh Saleem
Saleh Saleem is an Israeli Arab former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1994 and 1999.-Biography:In 1985 he became head of I'billin local council, a position he held until 2008. He was placed fourth on the Hadash list for the 1992 elections, but missed out on a...
.
In the 2003 elections Hadash ran on another joint list, this time with Ahmed Tibi's Ta'al
Ta'al
Ta'al is an Israeli Arab political party in Israel led by Ahmad Tibi.-History:Ta'al was founded by Tibi in the mid 1990s. It ran in the 1996 elections under the name Arab Union, but won only 2,087 votes . For the 1999 elections it ran as part of the Balad list. Tibi won a seat, and broke away from...
. The list won three seats, but again split during the parliamentary session, leaving Hadash with two MKs, Barakeh and Makhoul
In the 2006 elections Hadash won three seats, with Hana Sweid
Hana Sweid
Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born to a Christian family in Eilabun Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born to a Christian family in Eilabun Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab...
and Dov Khenin
Dov Khenin
Dov Khenin is an Israeli political-scientist, lawyer, and member of the Knesset for the leftist Hadash party. He is a member of the central committee of Maki , an activist for socio-economic equality and an environmentalist...
entering the Knesset alongside Barakeh. The party won an additional seat in the 2009 elections
Israeli legislative election, 2009
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
, taken by Afu Agbaria
Afu Agbaria
Dr. Afu Agbaria is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born in Umm al-Fahm, Agbaria studied medicine at Saint Petersburg State University, where he qualified as a doctor. He later worked as a surgeon....
.
Policies and ideology
The party supports evacuation of all Israeli settlements, a complete withdrawal by Israel from all territories occupied as a result of the Six-Day WarSix-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, and the establishment of a Palestinian state in those territories. It also supports the right of return or compensation for Palestinian refugees. In addition to issues of peace and security, Hadash is also known for being active on social and environmental issues.
Hadash defines itself as a non-Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
party, originally in keeping with Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
opposition to nationalism. It calls for recognition of Palestinian Arabs as a national minority within Israel.
Hadash shifted to a more Arab nationalist appeal after running on a joint list with Ta'al
Ta'al
Ta'al is an Israeli Arab political party in Israel led by Ahmad Tibi.-History:Ta'al was founded by Tibi in the mid 1990s. It ran in the 1996 elections under the name Arab Union, but won only 2,087 votes . For the 1999 elections it ran as part of the Balad list. Tibi won a seat, and broke away from...
in 2003. Avirama Golan of the leftist Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
wrote in 2007 that Hadash has "succumbed to the separatist-nationalist and populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
stream ... and chosen to turn its back on a social and civil agenda in favor of questions related to Palestinian nationalism..."
Election platform
The party's platform for the 2009 elections consisted of:.- Achieving a just, comprehensive, and stable peace: Israeli/Palestinian and Israeli/Arab
- Protecting workers' rights and issues
- Developing social services: health, education, housing, welfare, culture, and sports
- Equality for the Arab population in Israel
- Eradicating ethnic discrimination in all fields; defending the concerns of residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods and development towns
- Protecting democratic freedoms
- Equality between the sexes in all fields
- Protecting the environment; environmental justice
- Eradicating weapons of mass destruction
Controversy
On 1 November 2009, party leader Mohammad BarakehMohammad Barakeh
Mohammad Barakeh is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash, of which he is the General Secretary.-Biography:Born in Shefa-'Amr, Barakeh studied mathematics at Tel Aviv University. He first became politically involved whilst at university in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
was indicted on four counts for events that occurred between April 2005 and July 2007; assault and interfering with a policeman in the line of duty, assault on a photographer, insulting a public servant, and for attacking an official who was discharging his legal duty.
Current Knesset Members
- Mohammad BarakehMohammad BarakehMohammad Barakeh is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash, of which he is the General Secretary.-Biography:Born in Shefa-'Amr, Barakeh studied mathematics at Tel Aviv University. He first became politically involved whilst at university in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
(since 1999) - Hana SweidHana SweidDr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born to a Christian family in Eilabun Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born to a Christian family in Eilabun Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab...
(since 2006) - Dov KheninDov KheninDov Khenin is an Israeli political-scientist, lawyer, and member of the Knesset for the leftist Hadash party. He is a member of the central committee of Maki , an activist for socio-economic equality and an environmentalist...
(since 2006) - Afu AgbariaAfu AgbariaDr. Afu Agbaria is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born in Umm al-Fahm, Agbaria studied medicine at Saint Petersburg State University, where he qualified as a doctor. He later worked as a surgeon....
(since 2009)
Former Knesset Members
- Charlie BitonCharlie BitonCharlie-Shalom Biton is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash and the Black Panthers between 1977 and 1992.-Biography:Born in Casablanca in Morocco, Biton made aliyah to Israel in 1949 at the age of two...
(1977–1990) - Tamar GozanskyTamar Gozansky-Background:Born in Petah Tikva during the Mandate era to a Russian family, Gozansky studied in Russia, gaining an MSc in Economics from Leningrad State University. She later worked as an economist.-Political career:...
(1990–2003) - Avraham LevenbraunAvraham LevenbraunAvraham Levenbraun was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Rakah and Hadash in two spells between 1972 and 1981.-Biography:...
(1977, 1981) - Hashem MahameedHashem MahameedHashem Mahameed is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash, Balad, United Arab List and National Unity – National Progressive Alliance between 1990 and 2003.-Biography:...
(1990–2003)
- Issam MakhoulIssam MakhoulIssam Makhoul is an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1999 and 2006. As the Secretary General of Maki, and together with the Central Committee of the party, he directs all communist activities in Israel as well as being responsible for relationships...
(1999–2006) - Hanna MwaisHanna MwaisHanna Mwais was an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1977 and his death in 1981.-Biography:Born in Rameh during the Ottoman era, Mwais was educated at a high school in Acre and the Scottish School in Nazareth. In 1956 he became a member of Rameh's...
(1977–1981) - Mohamed NafaMohamed NafaMohamed Nafa is a Druze Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash from 1990 until 1992.-Biography:Born in Beit Jann during the Mandate era, Nafa attended a high school in Rameh. He went on to study Hebrew and Arabic literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.In 1965...
(1990–1992)
- Ahmad Sa'dAhmad Sa'dDr. Ahmad Sa'd was an Israeli Arab journalist and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1996 and 1999. He later served as editor of the Israeli-Arab newspaper Al-Ittihad.-Biography:...
(1996–1999) - Saleh SaleemSaleh SaleemSaleh Saleem is an Israeli Arab former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Hadash between 1994 and 1999.-Biography:In 1985 he became head of I'billin local council, a position he held until 2008. He was placed fourth on the Hadash list for the 1992 elections, but missed out on a...
(1994–1999) - Tawfik ToubiTawfik Toubi-Biography:Toubi was born in Haifa to an Arab Orthodox family in 1922, and was educated at the Mount Zion School in Jerusalem. He joined the Palestine Communist Party in 1941 and later was one of the founders of the League for National Liberation, which originally opposed partition of Palestine but...
(1977–1990)
- Muhammed WattadMuhammed WattadMuhammed Wattad was an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1981 and 1988.-Biography:Born in Jatt during the Mandate era, Wattad was a member of the Israeli Communist Youth and Hashomer Hatzair...
(1988) - Meir VilnerMeir VilnerMeir Vilner was an Israeli communist politician and Jewish leader of the Communist Party of Israel , which consisted primarily of Israeli Arabs...
(1977–1990) - Tawfiq ZiadTawfiq ZiadTawfiq Ziad was a Palestinian politician well-known for his "poetry of protest".-Biography:Born in the Galilee, Ziad studied literature in Russia...
(1977–1990, 1992–1994)
External links
- Official website
- Official website
- Hadash Knesset website
- Hadash leader: Elections are between enlightened, conservative YnetnewsYnetnewsYnetnews is the online English language Israeli news website of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most-read newspaper, and the Hebrew Israel news portal, Ynet...
12.05.08