ABSTRACT
The Likud's eternal rival, the Labor party, led by Peres, was once again in the opposition. The feeling among the Likud was that the general elections were a mere formality. The confrontation that split the Likud took place in January-February of 1992, in the internal elections leading up to the general elections for the thirteenth Knesset. David Levy immediately announced his intention to resign from the government, retracting only after Shamir promised to give him the most senior position that Likud had to offer in the next government. But his speech had already had its disastrous impact on the sector most loyal to the Likud – the Mizrahi population of the periphery. On June 23, 1992, the Likud was voted out of government. For the first time since the Upheaval of 1977, the Labor party was back at the wheel, alone this time, after earning forty-four seats in Knesset.
