ABSTRACT
On June 23, 1992, Israel’s electorate reversed a fifteen-year trend to the right by shifting leftward and returning the Labor party to power. This led to new Israeli approaches to the peace process, domestic affairs, and Israel’s relationship with the United States. The government that emerged from the June 23 parliamentary elections is comprised of a center-left/religious coalition led by Yitzhak Rabin, who himself was only elected Labor party leader the previous February. Labor’s political campaign stressed Rabin’s military and leadership experience and highlighted his commitment to pursue peace while preserving Israeli security. Despite the narrow margin of Labor’s victory, Israel’s parliamentary democracy permits a ruling coalition considerable leeway to implement its core policies. Rabin’s government comprises a coalition controlling sixty-two seats of the 120-member Knesset. The change in Israel’s electorate was evident in the votes for the most prominent parties of the left and right since the late 1960s.
