Rakah
Founded in 1965
Rakah (Reshima Komunistit Hadasha—the New Communist List) was established as an additional communist party in 1965 after a group of members left Maki (the Israeli Communist Party). The members who left Maki were primarily the Arab members, although they were joined by a small group of Jewish members, led by Meir Vilner, who became the head of the new list.
As a communist party, Rakah adopted the positions of the Soviet Union regarding the Middle East, including labeling Zionism as an imperialist, bourgeois movement. In the internal sphere, Rakah developed into a party whose main support came from Israeli Arabs. In 1977, Rakah became the central component in Hadash—a list that united a number of left-wing parties and movements. In 1989, after Maki ceased to exist, Rakah adopted the name Maki and currently operates as the Israeli Communist Party.