Democratic Movement (Israel)

Democratic Movement תנועה דמוקרטית
Leader	Yigael Yadin
Founded	14 September 1978
Dissolved	10 March 1981
Split from	Democratic Movement for Change
Most MKs	7 (1978-1980)
Fewest MKs	4 (1980-1981)
Politics of Israel Political parties Elections

The Democratic Movement (Hebrew: תנועה דמוקרטית‎, Tnu'a Demokratit) was a short-lived political party in Israel formed in the aftermath of the spectacular breakup of Dash. Founded in 1978, it lasted only until 1981.

Background

The party was formed on 14 September 1978 when Dash split into three new parties just sixteen months after having come third in the 1977 elections. Seven MKs, including Dash leader Yigael Yadin, founded the Democratic Movement, seven created Shinui (Change) and one set up Ya'ad.

Unlike Shinui, which pulled out, the new party remained part of Menachem Begin's coalition government, with Yadin as deputy Prime Minister and Shmuel Tamir as Minister of Justice.

However, like its predecessor, the Democratic Movement also broke up. In 1980 four MKs left the party; Mordechai Elgrably left on 5 February to sit as an independent MK (he later helped form the Unity Party), on 8 July Shafik Asaad and Shlomo Eliyahu left to form Ahva (which also split before the next elections), whilst Akiva Nof left on 17 September, also to join Ahva. The party was officially dissolved on 10 March 1981, with its remaining members, Tamir, Yadin and Binyamin Halevi, sitting out the remainder of the Knesset session as independents.

List of Knesset members

Name	Years in office	Government roles	Other roles	Notes
Shafik Assad	1978–1980			Left party to join Ahva
Shlomo Eliyahu	1978–1980			Left party to join Ahva
Mordechai Elgrably	1978–1980			Left party to sit as an independent
Binyamin Halevi	1978–1981
Akiva Nof	1978–1980			Left party to join Ahva
Shmuel Tamir	1978–1981	Minister of Justice
Yigael Yadin	1978–1981	Deputy Prime Minister	Party leader

External links

• Party history Knesset website