ABSTRACT
Likud and Shas are examples of populist parties of a strongly inclusive nature. Nonetheless, because in Israel the differences between ethnos and demos are blurred, they also bear significant exclusionary traits. In the late 1990s a new party emerged, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), whose emphasis on security and ethnic homogeneity renders it a clear example of exclusionary populism.87 As may be appreciated in the following discussion, Yisrael Beiteinu presents all the features of radical right populist parties: the idea of an ethnically homogeneous people as a natural community, xenophobia, nationalism, an obsession with security and a “law and order” approach to social issues, an antiliberal understanding of democracy, and a yearning for a strong leader.
