Israel Labor Party is a moderate political party in Israel. The Labor Party and the conservative Likud bloc were Israel’s dominant parties throughout most of the nation’s history. Control over Israel’s government alternated between these two parties from 1977 to the early 2000’s. Both parties, however, have had to form coalitions with other parties to secure their power. In elections held in late 2019 and early 2020, the new moderate Blue and White party won far more seats in the Israeli parliament than the Labor Party, and approximately the same number as Likud.
The Labor Party has traditionally been considered a left-of-center party, with a tendency to favor some government control of the economy. Over the years, the party has become more moderate. The party has supported negotiations with Palestinians concerning Israel’s control of Palestinian territories that Israel captured in a 1967 war. These territories are the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Many Palestinians in these areas want to establish their own country, and both territories have been the site of much violence over the years. The Labor Party has supported giving up parts of the occupied territories to Palestinian control in return for Palestinian guarantees of peace.
The Labor Party was created in 1968 when three parties merged. The major party involved in this merger was the socialist Mapai (Israel Workers’ Party). The Mapai, and later the Labor Party, formed coalitions that controlled Israel’s government from 1948 to 1977. In 1977, the Likud bloc won enough seats in the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) to assume power. Likud coalitions then controlled the government until 1984. In both the 1984 and 1988 Knesset elections, however, Likud and Labor won nearly the same number of seats. The two parties agreed to form a unity government after the 1984 election. From 1984 to 1988, Labor Party leader Shimon Peres and Likud leader Yitzhak Shamir alternated as prime minister. The two parties formed a new coalition government in 1988, with Shamir remaining as prime minister.
In 1990, the coalition government collapsed when the Labor Party withdrew. Likud and smaller conservative parties later formed a new coalition government. The Labor Party regained control after the 1992 elections, and Labor Party leader Yitzhak Rabin became prime minister. After Rabin was assassinated in 1995, Peres became prime minister again. In 1996, Israeli voters directly elected the prime minister for the first time. Peres narrowly lost the election to Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. In 1999, Labor Party leader Ehud Barak defeated Netanyahu for the prime minister’s post. In an election held in 2001, Barak lost by a wide margin to Likud leader Ariel Sharon. The 2001 election was the final one in which voters directly elected the prime minister. In 2002, Amram Mitzna became the leader of the Labor Party. Under Mitzna, the party lost to Likud in legislative elections in 2003. Later that year, Mitzna resigned as leader, and Peres became leader.
In 2005, the Labor Party elected Amir Peretz party leader. In 2006 elections, the Labor Party won the second largest number of seats. Labor formed a coalition with the Kadima party, which won the most seats. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appointed Peretz defense minister and deputy prime minister. In 2007, the Labor Party again elected Ehud Barak as party leader, and he became defense minister. After the 2009 election, Labor became only the fourth largest party. Barak resigned from the party in 2011 because of disagreements over policy, and with several other members formed a new party.
The Labor Party’s share of seats in the Knesset remained low in elections held in 2013 and 2015. In April 2019 elections, Labor won only six seats. Later that year, Peretz was again elected party leader. The April elections, as well as those held in September, were inconclusive, with Netanyahu’s Likud Party and the Blue and White Party winning about the same number of seats. After a third inconclusive election in March 2020, in which Labor won only three seats, Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, agreed to form a unity government. Peretz agreed to support the Blue and White party in such a government and was appointed economic minister. In December, the government collapsed after failing to pass a budget for the following year.
Elections took place in March 2021 for an unprecedented fourth time in two years. Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats (30) but failed to win a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu also failed to form a new coalition government. The opposition, led by Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid party, created an eight-party coalition, which the Knesset approved. Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Yamina party became prime minister. Labor won only seven seats in the 2021 election, but it became a member of the eight-party coalition.
In November 2022 elections, Likud again won the most seats in the Knesset, with 32. The Labor Party won only four seats. After the election, Netanyahu, Likud’s leader, formed a coalition government with other conservative parties. Netanyahu became prime minister again in December.
