Name	Likud
native name	הַלִּכּוּד
Logo
Colorcode
Leader	Benjamin Netanyahu
Foundation	1973 (alliance)1988 (unified party)
Ideology	Liberal conservatism,Revisionist Zionism
Position	Right-wing
Headquarters	Metzudat Ze'ev38 King George StreetTel Aviv, Israel
Website	www.likud.org.il
Country	Israel
Seats1 title	Knesset
Seats1
symbol	מחל }}

Likud ( ''HaLikud'', lit. ''The Consolidation'') is the major right-wing 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 lost power. However, after ruling the country for most of the 1980s, the party lost the Knesset election in 1992. Nevertheless, Likud's candidate Benjamin Netanyahu did win the vote for Prime Minister in 1996 and was given the task to form a government after the 2009 elections. After a convincing win in the 2003 elections, Likud saw a major split in 2005, when Likud leader Ariel Sharon left the party to form the new Kadima party. This resulted in Likud slumping to fourth place in 2006 elections. Following the 2009 elections, the party appears to have mostly recovered from its loss, and now leads the Israeli government under Prime Minister Netanyahu.

A member of the party is often called a Likudnik ().

History

Formation and Begin years

The Likud was formed by an alliance of several right wing parties prior to the 1973 elections; Herut and the Liberal Party had been allied since 1965, and were joined by the Free Centre, the National List and the Movement for Greater Israel. It was given the name Likud, meaning "Consolidation", as it represented the consolidation of the right-wing in Israel. It worked as a coalition of its factions led by Menachem Begin's Herut until 1988 when the factions formally dissolved and Likud became a unitary political party. From its establishment in 1973, Likud enjoyed great support from blue-collar Sephardim who felt discriminated against by the ruling Alignment.

The first Likud prime minister was Menachem Begin, who had led the party to victory in the 1977 elections, the first time the left-wing had lost power in Israel's political history. A former leader of the hard-line paramilitary Irgun, Begin helped initiate the peace process with Egypt, which resulted in the Camp David Accords and the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.

Shamir, Netanyahu first term, and Sharon

The second premier was Yitzhak Shamir, who first became PM in October 1983 following Begin's resignation. Shamir, a former commander of the Lehi underground, served as a strong Israeli leader seen as more hard-line than Begin. Under his leadership, the Jews of Russia and Ethiopia were brought on aliyah to Israel and settlements flourished throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The third Likud premier was Benjamin Netanyahu, elected in May 1996, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Netanyahu proved far less ideological than Begin and could not stand up to United States' pressure as firmly as Shamir had. Though critical of the Oslo accords and more hawkish than Rabin and Peres' Labour governments, like his rivals in the Labor party, Netanyahu negotiated with Yasser Arafat.

The fourth Likud premier was Ariel Sharon, elected March 2001, who resigned from both the Likud and as Prime Minister on 21 November 2005. Sharon served as defense minister during Operation Peace for the Galilee (1982), and was found by the Kahan Commission to be indirectly responsible for the Sabra and Shatila Massacre (16–18 September 1982). Sharon was forced to resign as defense minister after the Kahan Commission issued its report, but he was allowed to remain in Begin's cabinet.

In 1998, after Binyamin Netanyahu ceded territory to the Palestinians in the Wye accords, several MKs split off from the Likud in an act of protest. Led by Benny Begin (Menachem Begin's son), Michael Kleiner and David Re'em, a new party named Herut – The National Movement was formed, gaining support from former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir (who had expressed harsh disappointment in Netanyahu's leadership).

In 2001, following Palestinian attacks during the al-Aqsa Intifada, Ehud Barak lost the elections to Likud leader Ariel Sharon. At the 2003 elections the Likud doubled its power, rising to 40 mandates (out of 120) and securing power jobs in the government, ministries, public institutes and state bureaucracy.

Sharon's entire tenure was marked by the Al-Aqsa Intifada and he ventured further away from the Likud's traditional values and association with the settler movement. In the summer of 2005, Sharon uprooted thousands of Jewish settlers from their homes in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank in order to withdraw from the territory.

Kadima split

Ariel Sharon's perceived leftward shift to the political center, especially in his execution of the Disengagement Plan, alienated him from some Likud supporters and fragmented the party. He faced several serious challenges to his authority shortly before his departure. The first was in March 2005, when he and Netanyahu proposed a budget plan which met fierce opposition, though it was eventually approved. The second was in September 2005, when Sharon's critics in Likud forced a vote on a proposal for an early leadership election, which was defeated by 52% to 48%. In October, Sharon's opponents within the Likud Knesset faction joined with the opposition to prevent the appointment of two of his associates to the Cabinet, demonstrating that Sharon had effectively lost control of the Knesset and that the 2006 budget was unlikely to pass.

The next month, Labor announced its withdrawal from Sharon's governing coalition following its election of the left wing Amir Peretz as leader. On 21 November 2005, Sharon announced he would be leaving Likud and forming a new centrist party, Kadima, and that elections would take place in early 2006. As of 21 November seven candidates had declared themselves as contenders to replace Sharon as leader: Netanyahu, Uzi Landau, Shaul Mofaz, Yisrael Katz, Silvan Shalom and Moshe Feiglin. Landau and Mofaz later withdrew, the former in favour of Netanyahu and the latter to join Kadima.

Netanyahu second term

Netanyahu went on to win the Likud Party Chairman elections in December, obtaining 44.4% of the vote. Shalom came in a second with 33%, leading Netanyahu to guarantee him second place on the party's list of Knesset candidates. Shalom's perceived moderation on social and foreign-policy issues were considered to be an electoral asset. Observers noted that voter turnout in the elections was particularly low in comparison with past primaries, with less than 40 percent of the 128,000 party members casting ballots. There was much media focus on "far-right" candidate Moshe Feiglin achieving 12.4% of votes, who is the only candidate who aims to see Likud actually pursue the policies presented in its own official charter.

The founding of Kadima was a major challenge to the Likud's generation-long status as one of Israel's two major parties. Sharon's perceived centrist policies have drawn considerable popular support as reflected by public opinion polls. The Likud is now led by figures who oppose further unilateral evacuations, and its standing in the polls has suffered. After the founding of Kadima, Likud came to be seen as having more of a right-wing tendency than a moderate centre-right one. However there exist several parties in the knesset which are more right wing than the post-Ariel Sharon Likud.

Prior to the 2006 election the party's Central Committee relinquished control of selecting the Knesset list to the 'rank and file' members at Netanyahu's behest. The aim was to improve the party's reputation, as the central committee had gained a reputation for corruption.

In the election, the Likud vote collapsed in the face of the Kadima split. Other right-wing nationalist parties such as Yisrael Beiteinu gained votes, with Likud coming only fourth place in the popular vote, edging out Yisrael Beiteinu by only 116 votes. With only twelve seats, Likud was tied with the Shas for the status of third-largest party.

In the 2009 Israeli legislative election, Likud won 27 seats, a close second place finish to Kadima's 28 seats, and leading the other parties. After more than a month of coalition negotiations, Benjamin Netanyahu was able to form a government and become Prime Minister.

Ideological positions

Charter

The 1999 Likud charter emphasizes the right of settlement.

"The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting."

Similarly, they claim the Jordan River as the permanent eastern border to Israel and it also claims Jerusalem as belonging to Israel.

"Jerusalem is the eternal, united capital of the State of Israel and only of Israel. The government will flatly reject Palestinian proposals to divide Jerusalem, including the plan to divide the city presented to the Knesset by the Arab factions and supported by many members of Labor and Meretz."

The 'Peace & Security' chapter of the 1999 Likud Party platform rejects a Palestinian state.

"The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel’s existence, security and national needs."

With Likud back in power, starting in 2009, Israeli foreign policy is still under review. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, in his "National Security" platform, neither endorsed nor ruled out the idea of a Palestinian state. "Netanyahu has hinted that he does not oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, but aides say he must move cautiously because his religious-nationalist coalition partners refuse to give away land."

In June 2009 Netanyahu outlined his conditions for the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, including the state being demilitarized, without an army or control of their airspace.

Economy

The Likud party claims to support a free market capitalist and liberal agenda, though in practice it has mostly adopted mixed economic policies. Under the guidance of Finance minister and current party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud pushed through legislation reducing value added tax (VAT), income and corporate taxes significantly, as well as customs duty. Likewise, it has instituted free trade (especially with the European Union and the United States) and dismantled certain monopolies (Bezeq and the sea ports). Additionally, it has privatized numerous government-owned companies, e.g. El Al and Bank Leumi, and has moved to privatize land in Israel, which until now has been held symbolically by the state in the name of the Jewish people. Netanyahu was the most ardent free-market Israeli finance minister to-date. He argued that Israel's largest labor union, the Histadrut, has so much power as to be capable of paralyzing the Israeli economy, and claimed that the main causes of unemployment are laziness and excessive benefits to the unemployed." Under Netanyahu, Likud has and is likely to maintain a comparatively fiscally conservative economic stance, although it might be considered centrist or even progressive from a world view. However, the party's economic policies vary widely among members, with some Likud MKs supporting leftist economic positions that are more in line with Israeli preferences.

Palestinians

Likud has in the past espoused hawkish policies towards the Palestinians, including opposition to Palestinian statehood and support of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, it has also been the party which carried out the first peace agreements with Arab states. For instance, in 1979, Likud Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, signed the Camp David Accords with Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, which returned the Sinai Peninsula (occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967) to Egypt in return for peace between the two countries. Yitzhak Shamir was the first Israeli Prime Minister to meet Palestinian leaders at the Madrid Conference following the Persian Gulf War in 1991. However, Shamir refused to concede the idea of a Palestinian state, and as a result was blamed by some (including United States Secretary of State James Baker) for the failure of the summit. Later, as Prime Minister, Netanyahu restated Likud's position of opposing Palestinian statehood, which after the Oslo Accords was largely accepted by the opposition Labor Party, even though the shape of any such state was not clear.

In 2002, during the Second Intifada, Israel's Likud-led government reoccupied Palestinian towns and refugee camps in the West Bank. In 2005 Ariel Sharon defied the recent tendencies of Likud and abandoned the policy of seeking to settle in the West Bank and Gaza. Though re-elected Prime Minister on a platform of no unilateral withdrawals, Sharon carried out the Israeli unilateral disengagement plan, withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and demolishing the Israeli settlements there, as well as four settlements in the northern West Bank. Though losing a referendum among Likud registered voters, Sharon achieved government approval of this policy by firing most of the cabinet members who opposed the plan before the vote.

Sharon and the faction who supported his disengagement proposals left the Likud party after the disengagement and created the new Kadima party. This new party supported unilateral disengagement from most of the West Bank and the fixing of borders by the Israeli West Bank barrier. The basic premise of the policy was that the Israelis have no viable negotiating partner on the Palestinian side, and since they cannot remain in indefinite occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel should unilaterally withdraw.

Netanyahu, who was elected as the new leader of Likud after Kadima's creation, and Silvan Shalom, the runner-up, both supported the disengagement plan, however Netanyahu resigned his ministerial post before the plan was executed. Most current Likud members support the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and oppose Palestinian statehood and the disengagement from Gaza.

Culture

Likud promotes a revival of Jewish culture, in keeping with the principles of Revisionist Zionism.

Likud emphasizes such Israeli nationalist themes as the use of the Israeli flag and the victory in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Likud publicly endorses press freedom and promotion of private sector media, which has grown markedly under governments Likud has led. A Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon, however, closed the popular right-wing pirate radio station Arutz 7 ("Channel 7"). Arutz 7 was popular with the Jewish settler movement and often criticised the government from a right-wing perspective.

Historically, the Likud and its pre-1948 predecessor, the Revisionist movement advocated secular nationalism. However, the Likud's first Prime Minister and long-time leader Menahem Begin, though secular himself, cultivated a warm attitude to Jewish tradition and appreciation for traditionally religious Jews—especially from North Africa and the Middle East. This segment of the Israeli population first brought the Likud to power in 1977. Many Orthodox Israelis find the Likud a more congenial party than any other mainstream party.

Leaders

Menachem Begin, 1973–1983

Yitzhak Shamir, 1983–1993

Benjamin Netanyahu, 1993–1999

Ariel Sharon, 1999–2005

Benjamin Netanyahu, since 2005

Current MKs

Likud currently has 27 Knesset members. They are listed below in the order that they appeared on the party's list for the 2009 elections.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Gideon Sa'ar

Gilad Erdan

Reuven Rivlin

Benny Begin

Moshe Kahlon

Silvan Shalom

Moshe Ya'alon

Yuval Steinitz

Lea Nass

Yisrael Katz

Yuli-Yoel Edelstein

Limor Livnat

Haim Katz

Yossi Peled

Michael Eitan

Dan Meridor

Tzipi Hotovely

Gila Gamliel

Ze'ev Elkin

Yariv Levin

Zion Pinyan

Ayoob Kara

Danny Danon

Karmel Shama

Ofir Akunis

Miri Regev

Other prominent members

Active:

Moshe Feiglin (leader of the Manhigut Yehudit faction)

David Levy

Past figures (deceased, retired or left Likud):

Menachem Begin (1913–1992), former Prime Minister

Geula Cohen

Moshe Katsav, former President of Israel

Michael Kleiner

Uzi Landau

Moshe Arens

Tzipi Livni, former Foreign Minister and current Leader of the Opposition

Shaul Mofaz, former Chief of the Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces and Minister of Transportation

Ehud Olmert, former Mayor of Jerusalem and former Prime Minister of Israel

Moshe Shamir (1921–2004), author and playwright

Yitzhak Shamir, former Prime Minister of Israel

Natan Sharansky, former Russian dissident

Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister and Likud party leader (September 1999 - November 2005) now in a coma.

Ezer Weizman (1924–2005), former President of Israel

See also

List of Likud Knesset Members

References

External links

Official website Likud Members News website Likud Nederland

Likud Knesset website

Likud - fact file at Ynetnews

Category:Political parties in Israel Category:Hebrew words and phrases Category:Liberal-conservative parties Category:Political parties established in 1973 Category:Revisionist Zionism Category:Zionist political parties in Israel Category:Conservative parties in Israel

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Moshe Zalman Feiglin (Hebrew משה פייגלין, born 1962) is an Israeli politician, head of the Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) faction of the Likud party in Israel. Widely quoted in Israeli media, Feiglin is considered a political hardliner with a unique political perspective that emphasizes policies that reflect Israel's Jewish identity.

In 1993, Moshe Feiglin co-founded the Zo Artzeinu ("This [is] our Land/Country") movement with Shmuel Sackett to protest the Oslo Accords. In its short history, the movement became arguably the most successful protest movement in the history of the Jewish State, bringing over 100,000 people to the streets according to police estimates. 80 intersections were blocked throughout the country in a massive act of civil disobedience on August 8, 1995 against the Oslo process. As a result of his activities, Feiglin was sentenced to six months in prison in 1997 for sedition against the state by Israel's Supreme Court. The sentence was later commuted to community service.

In November 1996, Moshe Feiglin established the Manhigut Yehudit movement to foster Jewish leadership for Israel. In 2000, the movement joined Israel's Likud party as a faction dedicated to the same goal. Feiglin declared that he would be a candidate for chairmanship of the party as a springboard for premiership of the State of Israel.

Personal life

Feiglin was born in Haifa in 1962. His family later moved to Rehovot, where he attended the local Tachkemoni school (of the Mizrachi movement), and subsequently graduated from Rabbi Haim Drukman's yeshiva, ''Or Etzion'', and served as a major in a combat unit in the IDF. He is the author of the books ''Where There Are No Men'', and ''War of Dreams'', has a column in both the Ma'ariv and Makor Rishon daily newspapers, and appears frequently on international TV and radio. He writes columns regularly for the Brooklyn-based ''Jewish Press'' as well. Moshe and his wife Tzippy have five children and three grandchildren. They live in the Israeli Settlement of Karnei Shomron, in the Samaria region of the West Bank.

Feiglin is an avid mountain biker, riding most mornings on the Samarian hills just outside his town.

Army service

Feiglin enlisted in the Israeli army for the full mandatory three-year term, despite the fact that the commonly accepted enlistment path among religiously observant Israelis is through the Hesder program, which allows those Israelis who wish to do so to pursue religious studies for a year and a half at an approved Yeshiva and have that time deducted from their mandatory service. Feiglin was the only member of his division to volunteer for and be placed in the Combat Engineering Corps. He later signed on to one additional year as a career soldier and attained the rank of Captain. He fought in the first Lebanon War of 1982.

Manhigut Yehudit

Feiglin is the co-founder and president of the Manhigut Yehudit ("Jewish Leadership") faction in the Israeli Likud party. Manhigut Yehudit began as a brainchild of Feiglin and a friend of his, Moti Karpel, who began the movement as the continuation of the Zo Artzeinu protest movement. The main tactical difference between the two in Feiglin's thought is that Zo Artzeinu protested government policy without suggesting an alternative, whereas Manhigut Yehudit seeks to become the government and be the alternative.

Manhigut Yehudit as an initiative was first proposed by Feiglin and Karpel, coincidentally, on the night of Yitzchak Rabin's assassination in November 1995. Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu's surprise defeat of Labor's Shimon Peres the following year on the heels of Zo Artzeinu's protests had, in Feiglin's mind, given the Oslo Accords the Israeli Right's sanction when Netanyahu shook Yasser Arafat's hand and continued the Oslo Process, giving the Israeli voter no real alternative to Oslo besides slight tactical differences toward its eventual fruition. It was at this realization that Feiglin decided to enter politics in order to formulate that alternative himself by running for the Prime Ministership directly.

Lacking the tools to do this and absent a political party with which to stake his run, he was approached by a founding member of the Likud party and participant in the Zo Artzeinu protests who proposed that Feiglin register for the Likud party and register, in turn, the thousands who participated in the protests, thereby building a support base for himself in the party and running for the party leadership, thereby attaining Prime Ministerial candidacy. At present, Feiglin has an estimated 12,000-15,000 loyalists in the party, making Manhigut Yehudit the largest consolidated faction in the Likud's approximately 100,000 strong party membership.

According to Feiglin's own words, Manhigut Yehudit was started to "return the country to the people and lead the State of Israel through authentic Jewish values". The movement believes Israelis deserve a chance to learn about their historical and spiritual past and that Jewish values should be taught in the nation's schools. The movement has challenged the hegemony of Israel's secular elite, demands free speech and open airwaves for all sectors of the Israeli public, and wants to break the monopoly the state has on radio and television broadcasts. Feiglin has demanded that Israeli schools stop teaching the Arab view of the history of Israel, such as describing the creation of the State of Israel as a disaster (''nakba'' in Arabic). He also has spoken out against Israel's undemocratically chosen Supreme Court and called for its members to be selected by representatives of the people.

Feiglin says that the movement’s leadership will arise from "those who have a deep commitment to Torah values." Still, 30 percent of its present members are secular (2005). He opposes the surrender of what he regards as Jewish land, and has demanded the government take action against the estimated 50,000 illegal Arab structures built throughout the country. Feiglin has stated that Likud had "given up true Likud values and acquiesced in the Gaza evacuation."

Feiglin has been on public record supporting the willful transfer of Arab citizens of Israel who do not accept Jewish sovereignty over the state. This emigration would be encouraged with financial incentives.

Although some of Feiglin's opponents have described him as a latter-day version of Rabbi Meir Kahane, he has stated on several occasions that he disagrees with many of Kahane's policies. While Manhigut's co-founder, Shmuel Sackett, had close ties with Rabbis Meir and Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, there is little evidence directly connecting Feiglin with Kahane, although there are several ideological similarities between them, such as supporting "induced emigration", developing a legal system more consistent with Halakha, and restricting Israeli citizenship to Jews. In 2005, Feiglin took this idea a step further and suggested that all Jews who wished to be citizens of Israel, regardless of where they lived, should be given full citizenship and voting rights. Feiglin and Sackett are distinguished most from traditional Kahanism through their commitment to nonviolent protest. Kahanism is often associated with militancy and a tacit acceptance of, if not outright support for, violence. Conversely, Feiglin and Sackett are also attacked in some right-wing Religious Zionist circles (including Kahane supporters) for ''selling out'' to the Likud.

Several left-wing commentators have depicted Feiglin as fascist. These accusations, however, are seen by many to be inconsistent with fascism as an ideology, which sees State law as the ultimate, whereas Feiglin's entire purpose in forming Zo Artzeinu was to break State law through nonviolent civil disobedience in order to protest government initiatives.

Political positions

Feiglin's politics are very different in a fundamental sense from most Israeli politicians currently serving in Israel's elected institutions, past or present. Whereas the stated goal of Israeli leaders since the founding of the State has been an end to the Jewish-Arab conflict with different means of attaining that goal considered between the country's respective right and left wing leaders, Feiglin has openly stated that, though he is not opposed to peace, peace is not his goal, and would not be on the top of his agenda as Prime Minister. Rather, Feiglin's focus is on reforming Israel as an essentially Jewish State by acting on several campaigns on the religious, social, legal, and security fronts.

Religious front

Feiglin is against religious coercion, and is even against the establishment of religious political parties. He has come out against religious legislation such as the Chametz Law, which forbids selling leavened products on the Passover Holiday, when eating or owning leavened food products is prohibited by Jewish religious law.

He is also a proponent of the civil marriage initiative in Israel which would allow any Israeli citizen to marry without the auspices of a religious cleric. At present, it is illegal to marry in Israel outside the confines of a religious system, making it impossible for tens of thousands of people with problematic religious status ever to get married in the country. The present system also places the power of divorce in the hand of the Rabbinic courts, who are unanswerable to any government authority. The civil marriage initiative would make the religious nature of marriage entirely voluntary, effectively separating church and state in this matter.

Feiglin in the Likud

In December 2005, Feiglin ran for Likud chairman and won 12.5% of the votes. He came in third out of seven candidates, after Benjamin Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom. He attempted to run for a slot on the party's Knesset list, but encountered severe opposition from Netanyahu, who delayed party elections and advocated making changes to its charter to bar "anyone who has served three or more months in prison" from running as a Likud MK. This would have prevented Feiglin, who served a six-month sentence in the mid-90s for civil disobedience, from running for either an MK or leadership position in the future. Feiglin withdrew from the race on January 3, 2006, following the release of a statement from the Likud party election chairman declaring, in agreement with a prior decision by the Israeli High Court, that Feiglin's conviction was not for "dishonorable" violations of the law, allowing him to participate in future Likud affairs.

In the August 14, 2007 primaries, Feiglin nearly doubled his previous showing and received 23.4 percent of the votes to Netanyahu's 72.8 percent. Netanyahu, fearing a strong showing by Feiglin, tried to have him ousted from the party prior to the vote, and has said he will continue such efforts. On December 10, 2008 Feiglin was voted to the 20th place in Likud primaries. On December 11, following a petition submitted against him by Ophir Ekonis, he was demoted to the 36th spot.

Peace plan

Feiglin has proposed a plan to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. His plan would include annexing the Palestinian territories after using much of the internal military budget projected for the next 10 years to offer every Palestinian family in these areas $250,000 as an incentive to emigrate to other countries. Feiglin pointed to a poll by An-Najah University in Nablus, which showed that one in three Palestinian Arabs would emigrate to other countries even without a financial incentive, as supporting his plan. Feglin also proposed that Israel actively encourage Israeli-Arabs to emigrate to the Arab world, and provide assistance to any Arab who chooses to do so.

Controversy and criticism

Comments on Arabs

Of Israeli Arabs, Feiglin said, "They will have to seek the right to self-determination in Arab states. Israel will encourage the Arabs to emigrate to their countries and assist any Arab who wishes to do so," Feiglin was quoted as saying. He insisted there is no such thing as a Palestinian people and that they and Israeli Arabs should relocate, citing a text he had posted on the website of his Manhigut Yehudit ("Jewish Leadership") movement. In a 2004 interview with Yedioth Ahronoth he spoke of "a voluntary transfer to the 22 neighbouring Arab states" of the some 1.4 million Israeli Arabs, who make up 20 percent of Israel's population. "Arabs don't live in the desert, they create it," he was quoted as saying.

"The Arabs engage in typical Amalek behaviour. I can't prove this genetically but this is the behaviour of Amalek."

"We shall offer them human rights without civil rights, so long as they prove their loyalty to their Jewish state host and accept Jewish sovereignty over their land. In such a situation they will be given legal-resident status and they can carry on their private affairs without anyone infringing on their human rights."

Controversy over Hitler comments

In an article in Ha'aretz, Yossi Sarid quoted Feiglin as saying, "Hitler was an unparalleled military genius. Nazism promoted Germany from a low to a fantastic physical and ideological status. The ragged, trashy youth body turned into a neat and orderly part of society and Germany received an exemplary regime, a proper justice system and public order. Hitler savored good music. He would paint. This was no bunch of thugs. They merely used thugs and homosexuals." Feiglin clarified his position to the Maariv newspaper that just because he considers Hitler a military genius this does not mean he admires him. In an interview on Israeli television Feiglin accused Sarid and other left-wing journalists of a smear campaign against him by quoting him out of context. He explained his point as saying that just because Germany was a democracy does not give legitimacy to what Hitler had done.

Banned from Britain

Feiglin is banned from entering the United Kingdom due to a decision by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, made public in March 2008, excluding Feiglin on the grounds that his presence in the country "would not be conducive to the public good." A letter to Feiglin from the Home Office said that Smith based her decision on an assessment that his activities "foment or justify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs; seek to provoke others to terrorist acts; foment other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts and foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK." Feiglin responded, "Seeing that renowned terrorists like Hizbullah member Ibrahim Mousawi are welcomed in your country in open arms, I understand that your policy is aimed at encouraging and supporting terror."

Resistance to Oslo Accords

Feiglin was arrested for organizing mass acts of resistance and blocked highways across Israel during the period in which the Oslo accords were debated and implemented. Feiglin was charged with "break[ing] the barrier of obedience to the rule of law" and incitement to commit crimes. Regarding his organization of peaceful demonstrations and the blocking of intersections without a permit, Feiglin was quoted as stating, "We will do all that it's possible to do, including break the law." He was sentenced to six months in prison in 1997 for sedition, and the sentence was later performed via community service.

Reaction from Likud members

Relations between Feiglin and his fellow Likud members have been mixed. Likud Knesset member Limor Livnat stated that Feiglin and his friends are "not real Likudniks" and that his faction "cannot be allowed to prevail." In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Livnat explained that Feiglin and his faction must be prevented "from taking over, or the party and the state will be in danger," adding, that "this is not democracy, this is anarchy."

Despite criticism from fellow Likud members, Feiglin has displayed favorable relations with a significant number of former Likud Knesset members. This was manifest during a Feiglin rally at Jerusalem's Ramada Hotel that took place before the 2008 Likud primary after Feiglin promised to throw all his votes to them if they showed up. Former Likud Knesset members Gila Gamliel, David Mena, Daniel Benlulu and Ayoub Kara attended the event despite warnings from Netanyahu's advisers not to do so. Gila Gamliel, who did not vote against the Disengagement from Gaza, eventually took Feiglin's votes and placed 19th, one spot ahead of Feiglin. This ultimately resulted in Feiglin getting pushed down to the 36th spot and out of the Knesset. Not the first tactical error by Feiglin.

Support for Jonathan Pollard

Feiglin is a highly vocal supporter of Jonathan Pollard, a former American naval intelligence analyst who is currently serving a life sentence in the American Federal prison system for spying for Israel. Feiglin, who has called Pollard a hero, has written a number of articles in support of Pollard. In a recent article, Feiglin stated that "Pollard is a Jew who saved the Israelis from American treachery."

References

External links

Manhigut Yehudit Website

Manhigut Yehudit Website in Hebrew

Moshe Feiglin Website

A monthly journal published by Manhigut Yehudit

Moshe Feiglin & Manhigut Yehudit on Facebook

FrontPage Magazine article about Feiglin's ban from the UK by Dan Rabkin

Moshe Feiglin interview with FrontPage Magazine by Dan Rabkin

Audio and video

Video of Feiglin Speaking at a Moshe Feiglin for Head of Likud and Prime Minister of Israel fundraising event before the August 14, 2007 Likud Primaries

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Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:People from Haifa Category:Israeli Jews Category:Israeli settlers Category:Jewish politicians Category:Likud politicians Category:Personae non gratae

cs:Moše Feiglin de:Moshe Feiglin fr:Moshe Feiglin he:משה פייגלין ja:モーシェ・フェイグリン no:Moshe Feiglin ru:Фейглин, Моше

Birth date	May 08, 1971
Birth place	Ramat Gan, Israel
Knesset(s)	18
Party	Likud

Danny Danon (, born 8 May 1971) is an Israeli politician who serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud. He is chairman of World Likud and Chair of the Knesset Committee for Aliya (imigration), Absorption and Diaspora Affairs.

Biography

Danon was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, to Joseph and Yoheved Danon. He attended Blikh high school and participated in the Betar youth movement. Danon gained a Bachelors degree in International Affairs, and Masters degree in Public Policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After his national service in the IDF (1994–1996), Danon was sent by the Jewish Agency to Miami.

In 1996 he was appointed assistant to Likud MK Uzi Landau. Later on he was appointed the Chairman of the World Betar organization for a few years. Prior to the 2006 elections, Danon won 23rd spot on Likud's list in the party primaries. However, the party won only 12 seats, and Danon did not enter the Knesset.

In June 2006, after beating MK Yuval Steinitz, Danon was elected Chairman of the World Likud organization. Danon was active against Prime-Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan during the referendum conducted by the latter in the Likud party's central committee.

In July 2007 Danon, described as one of Binyamin Netanyahu's biggest critics from within the Likud, declared his candidacy for the Likud leadership election. He eventually finished third.

During 2008, Danon filed a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice to rescind the citizenship of former MK Azmi Bishara, who fled Israel after he was suspected of aiding Hizbullah, an enemy organization of Israel, during the Second Lebanon War. The petition was rejected.

Prior to the 2009 elections he won twenty-fourth place on the Likud list, and entered the Knesset as the party won 27 seats.

In September 2009 during the annual UN General Assembly, MK Danny Danon toured the United States, meeting with Congressmen, leaders of the Jewish community and others on a public relations mission on Israel’s behalf. Danon told American lawmakers that "U.S. pressure on Israel is hurting Israel and will do nothing to advance peace.”

One of his most controversial recent causes was making it legal to sue people for organising boycotts, for example of products manufactured by settlers in the West Bank. He also wants to expel from the Knesset any member who joins any activity which would join the siege of Gaza.

In an August 2011 interview with Teymoor Nabili on Al Jazeera English, Mr. Danon said "There is place only for one state on the land of Israel .... I do not believe in a two-state solution."

Danon is married to Tali and father to three children. He lives in Mishmeret.

Glenn Beck Controversy

In June 2011, after an appearance on his Fox News program, Danon invited the right-wing American political commentator Glenn Beck to address the Knesset Immigration, Absorption, Diaspora Affairs Committee during his scheduled August visit, describing it as "an opportunity to explain to the world that we are not occupying anything.". The invitation came only four months after the Anti-Defamation League denounced Beck for "bigoted ignorance" and six months after four hundred American rabbis published an open letter to Beck's employer, News Corp's Rupert Murdoch, accusing Beck of "diminishing the memory and meaning of the Holocaust." In response, U.S. Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY), a staunch Congressional ally of Israel, told the Jerusalem Post that the invitation was "counterproductive and foolish" and that "It’s unfortunate that he’s getting this publicity." Danon replied, "I am proud to host and cooperate with anyone who supports us and expresses it in every forum possible."

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:People from Ramat Gan Category:Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Category:Members of the Knesset Category:Living people Category:Likud politicians

cs:Danny Danon he:דני דנון ru:Данон, Дани

name	Moshe Katsav משה קצב
nationality	Israeli
order	8th
office	President of Israel
primeminister	Ehud BarakAriel SharonEhud Olmert
term start	1 August 2000
term end	1 July 2007
predecessor	Ezer Weizman
successor	Shimon Peres
birth date	December 05, 1945
birth place	Yazd, Iran
party	Likud
spouse	Gila Katsav (1969-present)
children	5
profession	Politician
religion	Judaism

Moshe Katsav (, born Musa Qasab, December 5, 1945) is an Israeli politician. He served as the eighth President of Israel, a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset, and a Cabinet Minister in its government.

The end of his presidency was marked by controversy, stemming from allegations of rape of one female subordinate and sexual harassment of others. Katsav resigned the presidency on 1 July 2007. In a landmark and unprecedented case, on 30 December 2010, Katsav was convicted of two counts of rape, obstruction of justice and other charges. On 22 March 2011, in a landmark ruling, Katsav was sentenced to seven years in prison. Katsav has appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court of Israel.

Early life

Katsav was born in Yazd, Iran as ''Musa Qasab''. His family brought him to Tehran when he was an infant; in June 1951, when he was five, they emigrated to Israel. He remains fluent in Persian.

Upon arriving in Israel, the Katsav family was ultimately dispatched to an immigrant tent-camp in Israel's south, inland from the port city of Ashdod. In the winter of 1951, severe flooding inundated the camp, and Katsav's two-month-old brother Zion died. Young Katsav and his family lived in a tent in the transit camp for two years. They then spent an additional four years in a temporary hut. By then, the transit camp in which the Katsavs had been living had been transformed into the "development town" of Kiryat Mal'akhi.

Education, family

Katsav attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem beginning in 1968, and while studying he taught history and mathematics in a high school. He graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and history.

He has been married to Gila, since 1969. The couple has five children and two grandchildren. After a 30-year career in banking, Katsav's wife has devoted herself to charity and volunteer work, especially in groups fighting domestic violence and promoting women's rights, and providing aid and services to disabled children and children from disadvantaged homes.

Early political career

Katsav joined the Likud Party, and at the age of 24 was elected the mayor of Kiryat Mal'akhi, the small town in which he was raised. He was subsequently elected as a Member of the Knesset in 1977.

Cabinet minister

In the governments of Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, Katsav served as the deputy Minister of Construction and Housing (1981–83). He then served as the Minister of Labor and Welfare in the national unity government which served from 1984-88. During 1988-92 he served as the Transportation Minister under Yitzhak Shamir, and under Benjamin Netanyahu's first government (1996–1999), he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism.

The public positions filled by Katsav include the following: Chairman of the Iranian Immigrants Organization; Chairman of the commission to determine higher education tuition; and Member of Ben-Gurion University Board of Trustees.

Presidency

After serving as Deputy Prime Minister in Netanyahu's government, Katsav vied for the position of President, running as the opposition candidate against Shimon Peres. In a surprising upset, he defeated Peres to become the president of Israel, being elected by the Knesset on 31 July 2000. He took 63 votes (over 57 for Peres), two more than the required majority of 61, and was sworn in on 1 August. He was the first President of Israel to have been sworn in for a seven-year term, as well as the first candidate from the right wing Likud party to be elected to the office.

The office of the Israeli President is largely ceremonial, with no executive powers save pardoning prisoners and commuting sentences. Nevertheless, each president emphasizes different aspects of the role during his tenure. In 2003, on a visit to Italy, he demanded that the Vatican restore treasures allegedly brought to Rome after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

On 8 April 2005, the alphabetic ordering of leaders during the funeral of Pope John Paul II resulted in Katsav sitting near Iranian President Mohammad Khatami who, like Katsav, was born in the Iranian city of Yazd. Katsav told the press that he shook Khatami's hand and spoke to him in Persian. Khatami later denied this.

Rape and sexual harassment case

Initial allegations

In July 2006, Katsav complained to the Attorney General of Israel, Menahem Mazuz, that he was being blackmailed by one of his female employees. The investigation quickly turned against Katsav as the employee, referred to as ''A.'', alleged sexual offences. The eventual allegations asserted that Katsav had sexually harassed up to ten women, including the first woman's charge of rape. His house was raided by police on 22 August, where they seized computers and documents. There were calls for him to resign or suspend himself from the presidency. This came only days after Justice Minister Haim Ramon's resignation after a police investigation, also over alleged sexual harassment, had led to Ramon's indictment. Katsav was questioned on 23 August ("under warning") by police in connection with the accusations of sexual harassment and corruption, including A.'s rape charge.

On 7 September, after concluding the fourth investigation into the matter, and having received complaints from at least four different women (according to IBA's correspondent for police affairs), the Israel Police determined that they had enough evidence for an indictment. On that day, the Judges' Election Committee unanimously approved the appointment of Dorit Beinisch as president of the Supreme Court of Israel. Katsav refrained from attending, "to prevent dispute".

Avoids ceremony

On 13 September, the Knesset's House Committee approved Katsav's request for a day's leave of absence so that he could refrain from attending and presiding over Beinisch's formal swearing-in ceremony, normally held in the presidential compound, now to be held in the Knesset. The Committee's chairwoman, Ruhama Avraham, did, however, advise Katsav to opt for a more lengthy leave.

Katsav was interviewed by police for the fifth time, from 10:00 a.m. till at least 7:00 p.m. Police confirmed that seven women had by then testified against Katsav, and that the allegations now also included "breach of trust, fraud, and involvement in illegal wiretapping". Speaking on the case for the first time, on 18 September, Israel's Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, stated in an interview that the likelihood of Katsav's claim that he had been made the victim of a plot was "fairly slim," given the "long line of women who complained against him." By 21 September, the number of women accusing Katsav of sexual assault had risen to eight.

On 15 October 2006, police recommended pursuing rape and sexual harassment charges against Katsav. Complaints by five of the women would not be pursued because the statute of limitations had run out. Katsav was advised on 29 October by Israel's attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, to step down from his presidential duties and suspend himself as long as the possibility of his indictment remained under consideration. Katsav, who continued to deny the allegations, had announced, via his lawyers, that if indicted he would resign.''

Suspension and resignation

On 23 January 2007 Attorney-General Mazuz announced that he would consider charging Katsav with rape, sexual harassment, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, harassment of a witness and fraud. The president is immune from prosecution while in office, and could only be tried after the end of his term in August 2007 or after his resignation. The final decision on indictment would be made after a hearing where Katsav could present his case. Katsav had declined to resign as president, but had a three-month leave of absence approved by the Knesset on 25 January. Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik had assumed the office of president in the interim in a "caretaker" capacity.

On 7 March 2007, Katsav survived an attempt to impeach him by the Knesset House Committee. His seven-year term was scheduled to run out constitutionally on 15 July 2007. However, in accordance with a plea agreement, he resigned effective 1 July 2007. Katsav thus became the second President in a row to resign due to legal problems, after Ezer Weizman in 2000. Shimon Peres was elected to succeed Katsav on 13 June 2007.

Claims of witch-hunt and conviction by media

On 24 January 2007, Katsav held a press conference wherein he accused journalists of persecuting him and judging him before all the evidence has been presented. He also claimed that the media has been hostile to his presidency ever since he defeated Shimon Peres, quoting an op-ed piece in ''The Jerusalem Post'' by Amotz Asa-El which claimed that Katsav's election was "the end of Zionism" and others that compared his election to the Rabin assassination.

At one point, Katsav got into a heated argument with Channel 2 reporter and news anchor Gadi Sukenik, accusing him and his channel of conducting a witch-hunt. Katsav declared his intention to suspend himself temporarily in light of the charges of rape and sexual harassment, though he had refused to step down unless he is indicted.

The speech drew shock and condemnation, as well as amazement, from journalists, politicians, and legal figures. In a talk scheduled minutes after Katsav's speech ended, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that he should resign from the presidency.

Katsav yesterday delivered the speech of his life. To his great regret, under tragic circumstances. But it was a Shakespearean speech. It is a Shakespearean drama which unveils before your eyes. You occasionally rub your eyes and say: 'Wait, am I in a theater or am I sitting on an arm chair at home watching my president, live?' — Yisrael Segel, Israeli author and journalist

Katsav's brother Lior claimed in March 2009 that the eventual decision to indict Katsav amounted to "blood libel".

Plea bargaining and indictment

On 28 June 2007, Katsav's lawyers reached a plea bargain with Israel’s attorney general, Menachem Mazuz. According to the deal, Katsav would plead guilty to several counts of sexual harassment and indecent acts and receive a suspended jail sentence, and pay compensation to two of his victims. The more serious rape charges brought by the initial employee, A., had been dropped, as well as Katsav's original charges of her blackmailing him. This led to widespread condemnation of this deal among the general public and in particular from organizations devoted to women's rights: opinion polls showed that 70 percent of the public were dissatisfied with the deal, and over 20,000 protesters attended a rally against it at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. Despite the protests, the attorney general said the agreement would still shame Katsav while sparing humiliation of the office, and that there were in any event problems with the evidence owing to the lengthy timeline; Katsav's attorneys said they accepted the deal to avoid an arduous trial.

On 30 October 2007, the state prosecution told the High Court of Justice that it had changed its mind about the indictment on the basis of the evidence from the two key complainants, citing a meeting with Katsav's attorneys that highlighted contradictions within their testimony, including an affectionate letter from one of the complainants after the two rapes allegedly occurred. The court would rule on a later date on whether Menahem Mazuz's changed position was warranted. The move garnered harsh criticism from the complainants' attorneys. Katsav called off the plea bargain by April 2008, convinced, according to one of his lawyers, Avigdor Feldman, that the prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict him, leaving the prosecutors to decide whether or not to prepare a new indictment.

Trial and conviction

In March 2009, Katsav was formally indicted for rape and other sexual offences in the Tel Aviv District Court. His trial on two counts of rape and other sexual offences took place between August 2009 and June 2010. Katsav's testimony began in January 2010. The trial was held behind closed doors (as is customary in trials of sexual offenses) and a media ban was imposed on the details of the trial, witnesses and testimony. The ban was lifted in August 2010, when protocols of the trial were released.

On 30 December 2010, Katsav was unanimously found guilty of "rape, sexual harassment, committing an indecent act while using force, harassing a witness and obstruction of justice" by a three-judge panel. Presiding Judge George Kara read the verdict which stated that Katsav "engaged in a campaign of vilification against the plaintiffs". The former president could face a maximum sentence of 49 years, but this will be decided in a few months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it was "a sad day for Israel", but that the verdict shows that in Israel "all are equal before the law, and that every woman has exclusive rights to her body." The conviction was described as "landmark" and "unprecedented", and the story featured prominently in the international media.

On 22 March 2011, Moshe Katsav was sentenced to seven years in prison and two years probation for rape, indecent acts, sexual harassment and obstruction of justice, becoming the first former Israeli head of state to be sentenced to prison. In addition, he was ordered to pay one of the women he raped a sum of 100,000 NIS and another a sum of 25,000 NIS. Katsav's lawyer Tzion Amir told reporters later the same day that the sentence will be appealed to the Supreme Court.

In May 2011, Supreme Court Justice Yoram Danziger granted Katsav's motion to stay his entrence to prison until the Supreme Court heard his appeal. Deliberations on the appeal, by a panel of three judges, began on August 7, 2011. On that day, Katzav's attorney suggested that his client actually was sexually involved with one of the alleged victims, but that no rape occurred. He also suggested that the plaintiffs' testimonies were filled with contradictions. Deliberations resumed on August 10, and then Katzav's attorney suggested that his client's actions did not constitute anything beyond "an ordinary hug". Deliberations on the appeal adjourned on August 11, as a final ruling is to be delivered at a later date.

References

External links

BBC Profile

Category:1945 births Category:21st-century criminals Category:Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Category:Iranian emigrants to Israel Category:Israeli Jews Category:Israeli prisoners and detainees Category:Israeli rapists Category:Likud politicians Category:Living people Category:Mayors of places in Israel Category:Members of the Knesset Category:Mizrahi Jews Category:People convicted of obstruction of justice Category:People from Yazd Category:Iranian Jews Category:Politicians convicted of crimes Category:Presidents of Israel Category:Prisoners and detainees of Israel

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Rabbi Doug is the host of the "TAPED WITH... RABBI DOUG" television show. It is locally produced in Chicago, Illinois (the mid-western United States). The show airs weekly on TV (with public funding) and airs on YouTube and on the TV show's website tvrabbi.com. Rabbi Doug is rabbi of a congregation in Chicago, a chaplain, and he is also a school teacher. He is a frequent guest on a number of other television & radio shows, and Rabbi Doug writes a Torah column in the Chicago Jewish News. His TV show has been airing since 1996.

References

www.youtube.com/rabbidoug

www.tvrabbi.com

www.cantv.org/description.htm#taped

Category:American television personalities Category:Living people