ISRAEL VOTES 2009
NEW YORK (JTA) — Below are the lists of parties and their candidates in Israeli Knesset elections Feb. 10:
KADIMA (seats in current Knesset: 29)
This centrist party was founded by erstwhile Likud leader Ariel Sharon in November 2005, when he sought to build a new coalition of political support around his plan for unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Ehud Olmert became the party leader after Sharon’s stroke in January 2006, just months after the withdrawal took place. Following Olmert’s resignation amid a fund-raising scandal, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was elected party leader last September. Comprised of defectors from both Labor and Likud, Kadima lacks a clear ideology.
1) Tzipi Livni
2) Shaul Mofaz
3) Dalia Itzik
4) Tzachi Hanegbi
5) Ronnie Bar-On
6) Ze’ev Boim
7) Meir Sheetrit
8) Ruhama Avraham
9) Avi Dichter
10) Marina Solodkin
11) Yoel Hasson
12) Gideon Ezra
13) Yaakov Edry
14) Eli Aflalo
15) Ze’ev Bielski
16) Ronit Tirosh
17) Haim Ramon
18) Nachman Shai
19) Shlomo Molla
20) Robert Tivayev
21) Majali Wahaba
22) Rachel Adato
23) Yohanan Plesner
24) Shai Hermesh
25) Yisrael Hasson
26) Aryeh Bibi
27) Otniel Shneller
28) Orit Zuaretz
29) Yulia Shmuelov Berkovich
30) Nino Absadsa
31) Avner Barazani
32) Doron Avital
33) Avi Duan
LABOR (seats in current Knesset: 18)
Until 1977, every Israeli prime minister came from the Labor Party or its predecessors. In recent years, however, Labor has seen its traditional base of support dwindle as old notions of left and right have fallen by the wayside in Israel. Historically a champion of workers’ rights, Labor today is a center-left party led by a former prime minister, Ehud Barak, who of late has taken pains to establish his credentials as a hard-line defense minister. Labor is expected to lose ground this election but is likely to be a part of the next coalition government, possibly with Barak staying on as defense minister.
1) Ehud Barak
2) Isaac Herzog
3) Ofir Pines-Paz
4) Avishai Braverman
5) Shelly Yachimovich
6) Matan Vilnai
7) Eitan Cabel
8) Binyamin Ben Eliezer
9) Yuli Tamir
10) Armonad Amir
11) Daniel Ben Simon
12) Shalom Simchon
13) Orit Noked
14) Einat Wilf
15) Raleb Magadela
16) Schiv Schnan
17) Yoram Marziano
18) Leon Litensky
19) Colette Avital
20) Moshe Samiah
21) Yosef Suleimani
22) Arik Hadad
23) Avi Hizkiyahu
24) Menachem Leibowitz
25) Ofer Kornfeld
LIKUD (seats in current Knesset: 12)
The center-right party is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister and former finance minister who advocates slowing the peace process with the Palestinians and taking a harder line against Israel’s adversaries. With Israelis skeptical about the prospects for a quick peace with the Palestinians or the establishment of security by way of unilateral withdrawals, Likud is positioned to win the plurality of the vote and Netanyahu is the front-runner in the race for prime minister.
1) Benjamin Netanyahu
2) Gideon Sa’ar
3) Gilad Erdan
4) Rueven Rivlin
5) Benny Begin
6) Moshe Cachlon
7) Silvan Shalom
8) Moshe Ya’alon
9) Yuval Steinitz
10. Lea Nes
11) Yisrael Katz
12) Yuli Edlstein
13) Limor Livnat
14) Haim Katz
15) Yossi Peled
16) Michael Eitan
17) Dan Meridor
18) Tzipi Hotoboli
19) Gila Gamliel
20) Ze’ev Elkin
21) Yariv Levine
22) Zion Fanian
23) Ayub Kara
24) Danny Danon
25) Carmel Shama
26) Ofir Akunis
27) Miri Regev
28) Alelei Adamaso
29) Isaac Danino
30) David Even Tzur
31) Kati Shitrit
32) Keren Barak
33) Sagiv Asulin
34) Boaz Haetzni
35) Guy Yifrach
36) Moshe Feiglin
SHAS (seats in current Knesset: 12)
This Sephardic Orthodox party has built support among constituents for catering to the needs and political proclivities of Sephardic Orthodox voters — most notably, securing funds for religious education and welfare, and opposing the division of Jerusalem. Shas, whose sizable Knesset representation makes it a sought-after coalition partner, is likely to demand guarantees on its core issues as a condition of joining any governing coalition.
1) Eli Yishai
2) Ariel Attias
3) Yitzhak Cohen
4) Amnon Cohen
5) Meshulam Nahari
6) Ya’acov Margi
7) David Azoulay
8) Yitzhak Vaknin
9) Nissim Ze’ev
10) Haim Amsalem
11) Avraham Michaeli
12) Mazor Bahaina
13) Refael Cohen
14) Ami Biton
15) Oren Malka
YISRAEL BEITENU (seats in current Knesset: 11)
The staunchly right-wing party, led by a Moldovan immigrant, has a growing base of support among Israel’s Russian-speaking community and uncompromising right wing. Party leader Avigdor Lieberman advocates making loyalty to the Jewish state a condition of Israeli citizenship and is a proponent of the idea of trading parts of Israel populated by Arab Israelis to a future Palestinian state — along with the Arabs who live there — in exchange for annexation of parts of the West Bank to Israel. Portrayed by political opponents as a right-wing extremist and a fascist, Lieberman has enjoyed a significant boost in the weeks since the launch of the Gaza war.
1) Avigdor Lieberman
2) Uzi Landau
3) Stas Misezhnikov
4) Yitzhak Aharonovitch
5) Sofa Landver
6) Orly Levi
7) Danny Ayalon
8) David Rotem
9) Anastasia Michaeli
10) Faina Kirschenbaum
11) Robert Ilatov
12) Hamed Amar
13) Moshe Matalon
14) Lia Shemtov
15) Alex Miller
16) Viktor Ifrahimov
17) Yitzhak Slavin
18) Smadar Bat-Adam
19) Yulia Melinovsky
20) Arkady Pomerantz
Agudat Yisrael + Degel HaTorah (United Torah Judaism) (seats in current Knesset: 3+3)
1) Ya’acov Litzman
2) Moshe Gafni
3) Meir Porush
4) Uri Maklev
5) Menahem Eliezer Moses
6) Yisrael Eichler
7) Menahem Carmel
8) Ya’acov Guterman
9) Avraham Yosef Lazerson
10) Shimon Hadad
Gil Pensioners Party (seats in current Knesset: 6)
1) Rafi Eitan
2) Gideon Reicher
3) Yossi Katz
4) Yaakov Ben Yizri
5) Shimrit Or
6) Uri Chanoch
7) Avraham Tubol
8) Yehoshua Peretz
Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish home) and National Religious Party (seats in current Knesset: 5)
1) Daniel Hershkovitz
2) Zevulun Orlev
3) Uri Orbach
4) Nissan Slomiansky
5) Sar-Shalom Jerby
6) Liora Minke
7) Shella Shorshan
8) Avraham Negosa
9) Ophir Cohen
10) Elyashiv Reichner
Meretz-Yahad + The New Movement (seats in current Knesset: 5)
1) Chaim Oron
2) Ilan Gilon
3) Nitzan Horowitz
4) Zahava Gal-On
5) Mosi Raz
6) Avshalom Vilan
7) Talia Sasson
8) Tzvia Greenfeld
9) Tzali Reshef
10) Issawi Freij
Ra’am-Ta’al + United Arab List (seats in current Knesset: 4)
1) Ibrahim Sarsour
2) Ahmed Tibi
3) Taleb a-Sanaa
4) Masid Gnaim
5) Taleb Abu Arar
Balad (seats in current Knesset: 3)
1) Jamal Zahalka
2) Said Nafa
3) Hanin Zuabi
4) Abbas Zakour
5) Oonie Tuma
Hadash (seats in current Knesset: 3)
1) Muhammad Barakei
2) Hanna Sweid
3) Dov Henin
4) Abu Agberiah
5) Aida Tuma-Kalimah
Moledet-Ichud Leumi (seats in current Knesset: 2)
1) Ya’acov Katz
2) Uri Ariel
3) Arye Eldad
4) Michael Ben-Ari
5) Uri Bank
Meimad + The Green Movement (seats in current Knesset: 1)
1) Michael Melchior
2) Eran Ben-Yemini
3) Alon Tal
4) Yonina Falnberg
5) Iris Hahn
OTHER PARTIES (None of the below hold any seats in current Knesset)
Da’am
1) Asma Aghbareh Zahalka
2) Nir Nader
Lazuz
1) Nikki Shtrekman
2) Yitzhak Avidan
Strong Israel
1) Ephraim Sneh
2) Gal Ifergan
3) Omer Selah
Power to Influence
1) Yochai Dok
2) Yael Albeg
3) Nurit Buchnik-Hadif
The Israelis
1) Gideon Doron
Responsibility
1) Ya’akov Hesdai
2) Ya’akov Weiman
Tzabar
1) Boaz Toporovski
2) Nathaniel Isaac
Green Leaf
1) Gil Kopatch
2) Shlomo Sendak
3) Karen Arad
Overhauling Education
1) Avraham Pascal
2) Tzion Amar
3) Aryeh Loker
Or
1) Yaron Yadan
2) Dod Selah
3) Ada Mendel
The Voice of Money
1) Eliezer Levinger
2) Datya Yitzhaki
3) Dod Yosef
The Greens
1) Pe’er Visner
2) Dror Ezra
3) Ariella Ringel-Hoffman
Lev
1) Alezander Tenzer
2) Ovadia Patrov
3) Vladimir Waxman
Green Leaf Graduates with Holocaust Survivors
1) Ohad Shem-Tov
2) Yaakov Kfir
3) Michelle Levine
Movement for Men’s Rights
1) Yaakov Schlosser
Tzomet
1) Moshe Green
2) Elhanan Glazer
Universal Covenant for Our Children
1) Kineret Golan
2) Yaron Yemini
Advanced Liberal Democratic
1) Alexander Radko
2) Anatoly Grasimov
United Social Activists
1) Yigal Ankori
2) Simcha Nir
Aliyah (Renewed Israel)
1) Michael Nudelman
2) Valerie Streks
3) Julia Spector
