Meretz

Meretz ( ; ) was a political party in Israel. It originated as an alliance of the Ratz, Mapam, and Shinui parties in 1992 and became a unified party in 1997. Meretz identified as a social democratic and secular party. Its platform emphasized support for a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, human rights (including those of religious, ethnic, and sexual minorities), religious freedom, and environmentalism. While Meretz’s three predecessor parties were Zionist, and it proclaimed itself as such in its earlier years, the party’s own position on Zionism has been disputed. Meretz was a member of the Progressive Alliance and Socialist International, and was an observer member of the Party of European Socialists. The party achieved its highest electoral result in the 1992 Israeli legislative election, winning 12 seats in the Knesset. During most of the early 21st century, it held between three and six seats. In the 2022 Israeli legislative election, it failed to pass the electoral threshold and did not gain representation in the Knesset, the only time this occurred in its history. In 2024, Meretz merged with the Israeli Labor Party to establish a new political party, The Democrats.

Meretz ( ; ) was a political party in Israel. It originated as an alliance of the Ratz, Mapam, and Shinui parties in 1992 and became a unified party in 1997. Meretz identified as a social democratic and secular party. Its platform emphasized support for a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, human rights (including those of religious, ethnic, and sexual minorities), religious freedom, and environmentalism. While Meretz’s three predecessor parties were Zionist, and it proclaimed itself as such in its earlier years, the party’s own position on Zionism has been disputed. Meretz was a member of the Progressive Alliance and Socialist International, and was an observer member of the Party of European Socialists. The party achieved its highest electoral result in the 1992 Israeli legislative election, winning 12 seats in the Knesset. During most of the early 21st century, it held between three and six seats. In the 2022 Israeli legislative election, it failed to pass the electoral threshold and did not gain representation in the Knesset, the only time this occurred in its history. In 2024, Meretz merged with the Israeli Labor Party to establish a new political party, The Democrats. ==History== ==Ideology== Meretz was a Zionist and social democratic party that advocated for progressive, egalitarian, and secular policies, as well as for green politics. The party supported a two-state solution based on the framework of the 2003 Geneva Initiative to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and maintained a platform emphasizing civil liberties, social justice, and environmental sustainability. In international media, the party was often characterized as left-wing, dovish, secular, civil libertarian, and opposed to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Meretz was affiliated with several international organizations, including full membership in the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance, and participated in Global Greens conferences. The party opposed the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People in 2018, organizing protests and petitioning the Supreme Court of Israel to overturn the legislation on the grounds that it discriminated against Arab citizens and the Druze community. Domestically, Meretz advocated for the rights of minorities in Israel, including Palestinian citizens and foreign workers; ensuring The State of Israel’s national security; supported affirmative action; and promoted LGBT rights. Its platform called for strengthening Israel’s social welfare system, protecting workers from exploitation—particularly among migrant and immigrant laborers—upholding the separation of religion and state, guaranteeing freedom of religion for non-Jewish communities, promoting liberal and pluralistic education. At its birth, Meretz stressed that it supported 'reformed Zionism'; the continued existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Meretz had a 'red' faction of socialists, centred around the former Mapam and Ilan Gilon, that called for closer cooperation with the Labor Party under Amir Peretz. ==Leaders== ===Leadership election process=== Shulamit Aloni became the party's leader in 1992 not by a formal leadership election, but instead by a consensus of the party's founding leaders. After her 1996 retirement as leader, the party held its 1996 leadership election, for which the electorate was the membership of its Party Council. The party's 1999 leadership election saw a broader electorate, with the delegates of the Party Convention voting for its leader. In the 2004 leadership election, the party again expanded its leadership election electorate, opening the leadership vote up to the party's general membership. More than 15,000 party members participated in this leadership election. The 2012 leadership election saw a return to limiting the elecotrate to party convention delegates. In the 2018 leadership election, voting was re-opened to the party's general membership, before being closed for the 2019 leadership election, and later re-opened in 2022. ==Election results== ==Knesset members== ==Meretz supporters abroad== Several left-wing Zionist organizations that shared many of the ideas of Meretz are affiliated with the Israel-based World Union of Meretz, which is an umbrella group for organizations in Jewish communities around the world that were linked to the Meretz party. The WUM is a faction within the World Zionist Organization and is part of the World Zionist Union (which runs in World Zionist Congress elections under the name Hatikvah) made up of the Labor Zionist Movement/Ameinu, Arzenu, and the World Union of Meretz, and sends delegates to the World Zionist Congress. WUM affiliates include the London-based Meretz UK, France's Cercle Bernard Lazare and the USA's Partners for Progressive Israel. The World Union of Meretz has representation in other organizations, including the Jewish National Fund and the Zionist General Council. Hashomer Hatzair, a progressive Zionist youth movement with branches in many countries, was informally associated with Meretz; it had previously been affiliated with Mapam. American Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman, whose sister Susan moved from the US to Israel and is a Reform rabbi there, asked Israeli voters to choose Meretz in the 2015 election. In October 2024 the US affiliate of the World Union of Meretz, Partners for Progressive Israel, was the first Zionist group in the United States to call on the United States government to suspend its sale of offensive arms to Israel, calling on the American government to redirect its aid to Israel to peacebuilding efforts. ==Notes== ==See also== Peace Now Young Meretz Meretz Youth Partners for Progressive Israel ==References== ==External links== Official website Official platform, 02/2021 Knesset Websites: Meretz (12–15th Knesset), Meretz-Democratic Choice-Shahar (16th Knesset), Meretz-Yahad (17th Knesset), New Movement-Meretz (18th Knesset)

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