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Israel
Interest Groups
Major interest groups in Israel influencing the formulation of
public policy have included the politically powerful Histadrut,
the kibbutzim, and the moshavim, all of which were affiliated
with or represented in most of the political parties. Reportedly,
one of the main reasons for Labor to join the National Unity Government
in 1988 was the opportunity for Peres, as minister of finance
and chairman of the Knesset's Finance Committee, to bail out the
Histadrut, the kibbutzim, and the moshavim, which were billions
of dollars in debt.
As of the late 1980s, other economically oriented interest groups
included employer organizations and artisan and retail merchant
associations. In addition, there were major groups concerned with
promoting civil rights, such as the Association for Civil Rights
in Israel and the Association for Beduin Rights in Israel. Numbered
among groups concerned with political issues such as the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, were movements such as Peace Now and
Gush Emunim.
Furthermore, Diaspora Jewry might be considered, in the words
of Canadian scholar Michael Brecher, an externally based foreign
policy interest group. In the late 1980s, Diaspora Jewry, and
especially American Jewry, had become increasingly critical of
Israeli government policy, particularly over the handling of the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and issues concerning religion and
the state.
Data as of December 1988
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