Liberal Party (Israel)
| Leader |
Peretz Bernstein Simha Erlich |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | Menachem Begin |
| Founded | 8 May 1961 |
| Dissolved | 1988 |
| Merger of | General Zionists, Progressive Party |
| Merged into | Likud |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Ideology | Liberalism (Israel) |
| Political position | Center (PP), center-right (GZ) |
| National affiliation |
Gahal (1965−1973) Likud (1973−1988) |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Colours | Gold |
| Most MKs | 18(1981) |
| Fewest MKs | 11 (1965, 1969) |
| Election symbol | |
| ל | |
The Israeli Liberal Party (Hebrew: מפלגה ליברלית ישראלית, Miflega Libralit Yisraelit) was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Likud. The party was created by a merger between the centrist Progressive Party and the General Zionists, forming a right-leaning, middle-class-based party. The Progressives soon seceded to form the Independent Liberals in 1964.
The Liberal Party had its roots in the General Zionists, centrists who sought to unify all Zionists without regard to socialist, revisionist, or religious leanings, and stressed industrial development and private enterprise. The group split into two wings in 1935; the majority, General Zionists A, led by Chaim Weizman, were on the left; General Zionists B were on the right. Both were made up of industrialists, merchants, landlords, white-collar professionals, and intellectuals. They merged again in 1946 to form the General Zionist party, but split again in 1948 when group A helped form the Progressive Party.
The Liberal Party was formed on 8 May 1961, towards the end of the fourth Knesset when the two parties merged again, together holding 14 Knesset seats. Early elections were called for 1961 after the General Zionists and Herut brought a motion of no-confidence in the government over the Lavon Affair. In the 1961 elections the party won 17 seats, the same number as Herut, making it the joint-second largest after David Ben-Gurion's Mapai.
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