Shinui
Encyclopedia
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 Change
, but the alliance split in 1978 and Shinui was reduced to two seats at the next elections
. In 2003 the party won 15 seats alone, but lost them all three years later after most of its MKs left to form new parties. The party was a member of Liberal International
until 2009.
Though it had been the standard-bearer of liberal economic policy and secular values in Israel for 30 years, the formation of Kadima
robbed Shinui of its natural constituency, and in January 2006 the party split into small factions, none of which managed to overcome the 2% threshold needed to enter the Knesset.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4813056.stm#Shinnui
, which shook the Israeli public. Prior to the 1977 elections
it formed an alliance with several other small liberal parties. Initially the party was called Democrats-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 Ultra-orthodox
ones, Shas
and United Torah Judaism
) has followed Dash's lead and adopted the primaries system.
The new party won 15 seats, the best performance by the 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
.
Dash were 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 Yigael Yadin
was named as Deputy Prime Minister. However, the fact that Dash did not control the balance of power led to internal disagreements over its role. The alliance 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. Two Shinui MKs defected to the Alignment, leaving the party with five seats in 1981.
the party was reduced to two seats. In 1984
they won three seats and were invited to join the national unity government
, but pulled out of the coalition on 26 May 1987. Although the party gained an MK from the Alignment, it lost Mordechai Virshubski
to Ratz. The party was renamed Shinui - The Centre Party during certain periods.
Shinui was reduced to two seats. Although the party gained an MK from the Alignment, they lost another to Ratz. However, in 1992 it joined with Ratz and Mapam
to form the leftist alliance Meretz
. The new party won 12 seats in the 1992 elections
, and were Yitzhak Rabin
's major coalition partners in his Labour-led government.
In 1996 the three parties decided to officially merge to form a united Meretz party. Although Shinui leader Amnon Rubinstein
supported the merger, most party members sought to distance themselves from the leftist social-democratic elements in Meretz. Two MKs (out of the nine Meretz won in the 1996 elections
) broke away to re-establish Shinui as an independent party in 1997 under the leadership of Avraham Poraz
.
Prior to the 1999 elections the party was taken over by TV celebrity Tommy Lapid, who was known for his fierce rhetoric against religious coercion. The party changed its name to Shinui - the Secular Movement and refused to join any coalition which includes the ultra-orthodox
parties Shas
and United Torah Judaism
. In the elections, Shinui won 6 seats.
invited the party to form a secular right-wing coalition, with Shinui taking several key ministerial positions, including the Internal Affairs ministry
, a key position in the secular-religious struggle. The party used its bargaining power to close down the Religious Affairs ministry.
Shinui presented itself as centrist on security issues.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/29/world/israeli-voters-hand-sharon-strong-victory.html?pagewanted=2
of Israel's Power
Company (IPC), which wanted to prevent a law bill by Poraz denying the IPC workers many privileges they currently hold.
In response, Shinui publicly denounced and condemned Paritzki and asked Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
to fire Paritzki from the cabinet, and called on Paritzki to resign from the Knesset and leave Shinui. Paritzki refused and blamed Shinui and other factors in a plot against him; he eventually formed his own party, Tzalash
. A criminal investigation was ended without any indictment or any further legal proceedings.
. Although he preferred to form a Likud-Labor-Shinui "secular unity" government, this was thwarted by Likud MKs. Sharon then started negotiations with Shas and United Torah Judaism. Although Shinui had vowed not to sit in a coalition with either party, after significant pressure from Sharon, and to avoid being blamed for thwarting the implementation of the disengagement plan, Lapid retracted his vow and agreed to let UTJ join the coalition if they would agree to the government's principles.
was confronted by party activists who accused him and Lapid of dictatorial control of the party, was recorded by them offering vacation flights out of the country and other financial favours. The tape reached Maariv
, which at the time was running its "Where is the Shame" anti-corruption campaign led by its editor Amnon Dankner
and top columnist Dan Margalit
. However, the affair generated little publicity as the party was outside the government. Nevertheless, the issues were brought to a head in September 2005 when Rubinstein criticized Lapid for stifling criticism and not engaging efforts to expand the party's membership.
On 12 January 2006 the party held internal primary elections in preparation for the elections that year. In a surprise result, Ron Levintal beat Poraz
in the contest for second place on the party's list behind Lapid (who was re-elected with 53% of the votes). This resulted in the party splitting, with five MKs (Poraz
, Ilan Shalgi
, Meli Polishook-Bloch
, Eti Livni
and Roni Brizon
) leaving the party to form a new party they claimed would represent the "real Shinui". On 25 January Lapid resigned as party chairman and left the party declaring it no longer worthy of support. By then a total of eleven MKs had left Shinui and formed a new party, the Secular Faction (later renamed Hetz
), led by Poraz
and supported by Lapid. After Yigal Yasinov
also left the party, Shinui was left with only two MKs, Ehud Ratzabi
and Ilan Leibovitch
.
Before the elections Levintal made several conciliatory gestures toward Hetz, attempting negotiations with them, the anti-corruption Tafnit
party led by Uzi Dayan
, and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak
over the prospect of forming a united front, but to no avail. In the election Shinui won just 4,675 votes, 0.16% of the total, well below the 2% (62,741 votes) electoral threshold. Hetz won only 10,113 votes, meaning that both parties lost their Knesset representation.
. It participated in combination with other parties, however, in the 2008 municipal elections in Haifa (led by Shlomo Gilboa) and won two seats. Shinui also participated in Tel Aviv-Yafo under the name Tel Avivim (led by Ron Levintal) but did not win any seats.
-Capitalist
economic and social policies, its best known platform plank is a call for separation of religion
and state
within the confines of Zionist ideology. It demands civil marriage (although it has opposed a bill to enact it in March 2004), the operation of public transportation, businesses, theaters, etc. on Shabbat
, removal of laws concerning selling and importing non-kosher food, drafting of ultra-orthodox Jews into the IDF
, and a halt to payments to yeshiva
students.
Because of such demands and the inflammatory tone of its current leadership, it was sometimes accused of being anti-religious or hating the religious, and so some, including many secular people who would otherwise agree with its platform, would not vote for it. The party's official position was that it does not oppose religion but merely seeks to mend the inequities that exist because of religion. Their television campaign for the 2006 elections showed ultra-orthodox Jews dragging onto secular voter, and as the secular man votes for Shinui, all the ultra-orthodox vanish in midair.
Shinui supported Gay rights, and conforming to its liberal orientation, Shinui adopted a unanimous resolution to create an in-party forum for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.
, privatization
of public assets, and a lowering of taxes, especially taxes on the middle class
. The party also objected to the introduction of a progressive estate tax.
was in accord with the mainstream centrist consensus. Shinui supported the anti-terrorism actions undertaken by Ariel Sharon, including direct targeting of terrorist leaders such as Ahmed Yassin
.
Shinui supported negotiation with the Palestinians concerning the final status and a Palestinian state, which would include removal of Israeli settlement
s and withdrawal from most of the West Bank
and Gaza
. It asserted that both the right and left mislead the public. The right by claiming that only force will solve the problem, and the left by claiming that there is a Palestinian partner for peace
.
Shinui strongly supported the Israeli West Bank barrier
and the disengagement plan.
, many of whose MKs have been convicted in various corruption probes. Accordingly, Lapid requested and received the Justice and Internal Affairs ministries when in government (the latter having been formerly held by Shas
). Shinui also frequently praised the Supreme Court of Israel
as a guardian of the law and moral values.
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...
, secular and anti-clerical
Anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious institutional power and influence, real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, and the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen...
free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
liberal party
Liberalism worldwide
This article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
and political movement in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The party twice became the third largest 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...
, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977
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...
the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for Change
Democratic Movement for Change
The Democratic Movement for Change , commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash was a short-lived and initially highly-successful centrist political party in Israel...
, but the alliance split in 1978 and Shinui was reduced to two seats at the next elections
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...
. In 2003 the party won 15 seats alone, but lost them all three years later after most of its MKs left to form new parties. The party was a member of Liberal International
Liberal International
Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the...
until 2009.
Though it had been the standard-bearer of liberal economic policy and secular values in Israel for 30 years, the formation of 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...
robbed Shinui of its natural constituency, and in January 2006 the party split into small factions, none of which managed to overcome the 2% threshold needed to enter the Knesset.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4813056.stm#Shinnui
1970s
Shinui was established by business people and academics in 1974, following the 1973 Arab-Israeli Yom Kippur WarYom 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...
, which shook the Israeli public. Prior to the 1977 elections
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...
it formed an alliance with several other small liberal parties. Initially the party was called Democrats-Shinui, but was soon changed to the Democratic Movement for Change
Democratic Movement for Change
The Democratic Movement for Change , commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash was a short-lived and initially highly-successful centrist political party in Israel...
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 Ultra-orthodox
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a 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.
The new party won 15 seats, the best performance by the 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...
.
Dash were 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 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:...
was named as Deputy Prime Minister. However, the fact that Dash did not control the balance of power led to internal disagreements over its role. The alliance 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
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. Two Shinui MKs defected to the Alignment, leaving the party with five seats in 1981.
1980s
In the 1981 electionsIsraeli 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 two seats. In 1984
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...
they won three seats and were invited to join the national unity government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
, but pulled out of the coalition on 26 May 1987. Although the party gained an MK from the Alignment, it lost 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:...
to Ratz. The party was renamed Shinui - The Centre Party during certain periods.
1990s
In the 1988 electionsIsraeli 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...
Shinui was reduced to two seats. Although the party gained an MK from the Alignment, they lost another to Ratz. However, in 1992 it joined with Ratz and 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...
to form the leftist alliance 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....
. The new party won 12 seats in 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...
, and were Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak 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....
's major coalition partners in his Labour-led government.
In 1996 the three parties decided to officially merge to form a united Meretz party. Although Shinui leader 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...
supported the merger, most party members sought to distance themselves from the leftist social-democratic elements in Meretz. Two MKs (out of the nine Meretz won 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...
) broke away to re-establish Shinui as an independent party in 1997 under the leadership of 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...
.
Prior to the 1999 elections the party was taken over by TV celebrity Tommy Lapid, who was known for his fierce rhetoric against religious coercion. The party changed its name to Shinui - the Secular Movement and refused to join any coalition which includes the ultra-orthodox
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
parties 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...
. In the elections, Shinui won 6 seats.
2000s
In the 2003 elections the party won 15 seats, making it the third-largest in the Knesset. Ariel SharonAriel 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....
invited the party to form a secular right-wing coalition, with Shinui taking several key ministerial positions, including the Internal Affairs ministry
Internal Affairs Minister of Israel
The Interior Minister , also known as the Minister of Internal Affairs is head of the Israeli Ministry of Interior and an important portfolio in the cabinet. The current Interior Minister is Eli Yishai of Shas...
, a key position in the secular-religious struggle. The party used its bargaining power to close down the Religious Affairs ministry.
Shinui presented itself as centrist on security issues.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/29/world/israeli-voters-hand-sharon-strong-victory.html?pagewanted=2
Paritzky affair
In July 2004 a tape recording of Shinui MK and Minister of Infrastructure Yosef Paritzki was exposed. In the tape, Paritzki was heard to ask a private investigator to investigate the actions of his Shinui colleague Avraham Poraz. The private investigator was probably paid by the workers' unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
of Israel's Power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
Company (IPC), which wanted to prevent a law bill by Poraz denying the IPC workers many privileges they currently hold.
In response, Shinui publicly denounced and condemned Paritzki and asked Prime Minister 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....
to fire Paritzki from the cabinet, and called on Paritzki to resign from the Knesset and leave Shinui. Paritzki refused and blamed Shinui and other factors in a plot against him; he eventually formed his own party, Tzalash
Tzalash
Tzalash was a one-man political faction in Israel.-Background:Tzalash was formed after MK and Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky was expelled from Shinui in July 2004 after he had been caught attempting to shame Shinui's deputy leader Avraham Poraz; he had hired a private investigator to look...
. A criminal investigation was ended without any indictment or any further legal proceedings.
Religious parties join the coalition
In August 2004 Sharon initiated coalition negotiations with several other parties after he lost the government majority required to support his disengagement planIsrael's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
. Although he preferred to form a Likud-Labor-Shinui "secular unity" government, this was thwarted by Likud MKs. Sharon then started negotiations with Shas and United Torah Judaism. Although Shinui had vowed not to sit in a coalition with either party, after significant pressure from Sharon, and to avoid being blamed for thwarting the implementation of the disengagement plan, Lapid retracted his vow and agreed to let UTJ join the coalition if they would agree to the government's principles.
Shinui out of the cabinet
On 1 December 2004 Shinui voted against Sharon's 2005 budget, which included subsidies to UTJ projects. In response, Sharon fired the Shinui ministers from the cabinet. On 10 January 2005 Labour joined the coalition, replacing Shinui. However, the party continued to support the disengagement and Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's financial reforms. Following its departure from the government, the party was renamed Shinui - Party for the Secular and the Middle Class.Poraz affair and party split
In June 2005 PorazAvraham 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...
was confronted by party activists who accused him and Lapid of dictatorial control of the party, was recorded by them offering vacation flights out of the country and other financial favours. The tape reached Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
, which at the time was running its "Where is the Shame" anti-corruption campaign led by its editor Amnon Dankner
Amnon Dankner
Amnon Dankner is an Israeli newspaper editor and author. He was the editor of the mass-circulation daily Maariv for six years.-Biography:Amnon Dankner was born in Jerusalem. His parents were the owners of Cafe Allenby. The family was secular but he attended a religious school, Ma'aleh, where he...
and top columnist Dan Margalit
Dan Margalit
-Biography:Dan Margalits studied international relations and modern Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He began writing for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in the 1960s. He is married to Dana. His daughter, Shira Margalit, is the deputy director-general of the Reshet television...
. However, the affair generated little publicity as the party was outside the government. Nevertheless, the issues were brought to a head in September 2005 when Rubinstein criticized Lapid for stifling criticism and not engaging efforts to expand the party's membership.
On 12 January 2006 the party held internal primary elections in preparation for the elections that year. In a surprise result, Ron Levintal beat 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 contest for second place on the party's list behind Lapid (who was re-elected with 53% of the votes). This resulted in the party splitting, with five MKs (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...
, Ilan Shalgi
Ilan Shalgi
Ilan Shalgi is an Israeli lawyer, politician and a former member of the Knesset.-Background:After his national service in the IDF, in which he served as a lieutenant-colonel, Shalgi gained an LLB and an MA in law from Tel Aviv University...
, Meli Polishook-Bloch
Meli Polishook-Bloch
Meli Polishook-Bloch is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shinui and the Secular Faction between 2003 and 2006.-Biography:...
, Eti Livni
Eti Livni
Eti Livni is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shinui and the Secular Faction between 2003 and 2006.-Biography:...
and Roni Brizon
Roni Brizon
Aharon "Roni" Brizon is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shinui and the Secular Faction between 2003 and 2006.-Biography:...
) leaving the party to form a new party they claimed would represent the "real Shinui". On 25 January Lapid resigned as party chairman and left the party declaring it no longer worthy of support. By then a total of eleven MKs had left Shinui and formed a new party, the Secular Faction (later renamed Hetz
Hetz (political party)
Hetz was a secularist political party in Israel.-Background and ideology:Hetz was formed in the aftermath of the breakup of Shinui towards the end of the 16th Knesset...
), led by 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...
and supported by Lapid. After Yigal Yasinov
Yigal Yasinov
Yigal Yasinov is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shinui, HaOlim the National Union and Yisrael Beiteinu between 2003 and 2006.-Biography:...
also left the party, Shinui was left with only two MKs, Ehud Ratzabi
Ehud Ratzabi
Ehud Ratzabi is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shinui between 2003 and 2006.-Biography:Born in Tel Aviv, Ratzabi gained Accountant Certification from Tel Aviv University, and worked in accountancy....
and Ilan Leibovitch
Ilan Leibovitch
Ilan Leibovitch is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shinui between 2003 and 2006.-Biography:Born in Rehovot, Leibovitch gained a BA in international relations and political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a law degree from the College of...
.
Before the elections Levintal made several conciliatory gestures toward Hetz, attempting negotiations with them, the anti-corruption Tafnit
Tafnit
Tafnit was an Israeli political party and a social movement which was established by the Aluf in reserve Uzi Dayan. The party participated in the 2006 elections, although did not gain any seats.-History:Tafnit was established as a social movement...
party led by Uzi Dayan
Uzi Dayan
Uzi Dayan is an Aluf in the Israel Defense Forces and an Israeli politician. He is the nephew of General Moshe Dayan.-Early life and career:...
, and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
over the prospect of forming a united front, but to no avail. In the election Shinui won just 4,675 votes, 0.16% of the total, well below the 2% (62,741 votes) electoral threshold. Hetz won only 10,113 votes, meaning that both parties lost their Knesset representation.
Since the 2006 Knesset elections
The party did not run in the 2009 Knesset electionsIsraeli 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...
. It participated in combination with other parties, however, in the 2008 municipal elections in Haifa (led by Shlomo Gilboa) and won two seats. Shinui also participated in Tel Aviv-Yafo under the name Tel Avivim (led by Ron Levintal) but did not win any seats.
Religion and state
Despite nearly 30 years of public support of LiberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
-Capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
economic and social policies, its best known platform plank is a call for separation of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
within the confines of Zionist ideology. It demands civil marriage (although it has opposed a bill to enact it in March 2004), the operation of public transportation, businesses, theaters, etc. on Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, removal of laws concerning selling and importing non-kosher food, drafting of ultra-orthodox Jews into the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, and a halt to payments to yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
students.
Because of such demands and the inflammatory tone of its current leadership, it was sometimes accused of being anti-religious or hating the religious, and so some, including many secular people who would otherwise agree with its platform, would not vote for it. The party's official position was that it does not oppose religion but merely seeks to mend the inequities that exist because of religion. Their television campaign for the 2006 elections showed ultra-orthodox Jews dragging onto secular voter, and as the secular man votes for Shinui, all the ultra-orthodox vanish in midair.
Shinui supported Gay rights, and conforming to its liberal orientation, Shinui adopted a unanimous resolution to create an in-party forum for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.
Economy
Economically, Shinui supported a free marketFree market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
, privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of public assets, and a lowering of taxes, especially taxes on the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
. The party also objected to the introduction of a progressive estate tax.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Shinui's position on Israeli-Palestinian conflictIsraeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
was in accord with the mainstream centrist consensus. Shinui supported the anti-terrorism actions undertaken by Ariel Sharon, including direct targeting of terrorist leaders such as Ahmed Yassin
Ahmed Yassin
Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin was a founder of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin also served as the spiritual leader of the organization...
.
Shinui supported negotiation with the Palestinians concerning the final status and a Palestinian state, which would include removal of Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
s and withdrawal from most of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. It asserted that both the right and left mislead the public. The right by claiming that only force will solve the problem, and the left by claiming that there is a Palestinian partner for peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
.
Shinui strongly supported the Israeli West Bank barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
and the disengagement plan.
Political ethics and the fight against corruption
Shinui proclaimed itself as a defender of political purity and lawful conduct. It promised to set an example for an uncorrupted party whose members are not suspected of involvement in criminal activity or financial irregularities. Shinui saw itself as an antithesis to ShasShas
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 ...
, many of whose MKs have been convicted in various corruption probes. Accordingly, Lapid requested and received the Justice and Internal Affairs ministries when in government (the latter having been formerly held by 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 ...
). Shinui also frequently praised the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
as a guardian of the law and moral values.
Leaders of Shinui
- Amnon RubinsteinAmnon RubinsteinAmnon 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...
(1974–1996) - Avraham PorazAvraham PorazAvraham Poraz is an Israeli lawyer and former politician.- Biography :Poraz was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1945 and immigrated to Israel in 1950...
(1996–1997) - Tommy Lapid (1997–2006)
- Ron Levintal (2006–Present)
External links
- Shinui - The Centre Party Knesset website
- Shinui - The Secular Movement Knesset website
- Shinui - Party for the Secular and the Middle Class Knesset website