ABSTRACT
The Israeli party system is one of the most fractionalized among Western democracies. The Israeli multiparty system is part of the prestate political heritage, evolving from diverse ideological trends and interest groups within the Zionist movement. Israel has often been defined as a party-state. From its inception as a state and even during the Yishuv era, Israeli politics have been ruled by parties. Multiple party systems are a function of proportional representation in which parliament members are elected at large rather than from separate constituencies. Mapai dominated Israel's political scene from 1949 until 1977 in terms of both ideology and government control. Mapai, with its Arab satellites, was perceived as the dominant party in 1949 when it obtained only 38.7 percent of the votes. By 1992 the left bloc consisted of four parties: Labor, Meretz, and the two Arab parties, Hadash and the Arab Democratic Party.
