The Elections in Israel 2003
- Written By: Asher Arian, Michal Shamir
- Publication Date:
- In Collaboration with: Transaction Publishers
- Cover Type: Softcover
- Number Of Pages: 384 Pages
This book brings together leading Israeli and North American social scientists and their state-of-the-art, in-depth analysis of the 2003 Israeli national elections. These elections returned Ariel Sharon and the Likud to power amid one of the bloodiest rounds of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and a severe economic downturn in Israel. Contributors analyze the electoral behavior of the voters as a whole and various subgroups, highlighting social cleavages and identity, as well as issues and other strategic considerations.
The Elections in Israel - 2003 brings together leading Israeli and North American social scientists and their state-of-the-art, in-depth analysis of the 2003 Israeli national elections. These elections returned Ariel Sharon and the Likud to power amid one of the bloodiest rounds of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and a severe economic downturn in Israel. Contributors analyze the electoral behavior of the voters as a whole and various subgroups, highlighting social cleavages and identity, as well as issues and other strategic considerations. Three chapters analyze in detail the Arab, the national-religious, and the "Russian" vote.
The 2003 elections saw Israel's return to the family of parliamentary nations after it experimented with the direct election of the prime minister from 1996 through 2001. The impact of the adoption and repeal of this unique Israeli system of government is another major topic covered in this volume, and several contributions explore the impact of these changes upon the electorate, the party system, and party financing.
Other unusual features of the 2003 elections were the low turnout levels among Jewish and Arab voters; political moves to disqualify Arab candidates and lists from running for office, which were overruled by the Supreme Court of Israel; the collapse of the left, the spectacular showing the centrist Shinui party, and the prominent status of the Likud in the Knesset and in Israeli politics.
Through its focus on the 2003 elections, this volume also illuminates developments and changes in Israeli society and politics. Many of these developments - multiculturalism, changes in social stratification, the growing role of the judiciary and of the media, and political reform - characterize other Western democracies as well, and these are discussed from a comparative perspective. The Elections in Israel - 2003 will be of particular interest to those concerned with politics in Israel, as well as those concerned with comparative politics and elections in general.
Asher Arian is a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Haifa.
Michal Shamir is a Professor of Political Science at Tel Aviv University.
Introduction
Michal Shamir and Asher Arian
Part 1: Party System continuity or Change?
1. On Mistaking a Dominant Party in a Dealigning System - Asher Arian and Michal Shamir
2. The Political Consequences of the Introduction and the Repeal of the Direct Elections for the Prime Minister - Ofer Kenig, Gideon Rahat, and Reuven Y. Hazan
Part 2: Politics of the Election Campaign
3. Fat Parties: Lean Candidates: Funding Israeli Internal Party Contests -
Menachem Hofnung
4. Who's Defending Democracy? The Battle among the Elites over Elections to the 16th Knesset - Ami Pedahzur
5. Disqualification of Political Party Lists and Candidates for the Knesset - Were the 2003 Elections Unique? - Michal Shamir and Keren Weinshall-Margel
6. An Empirical Analysis of the Issue of Media Bias in Israeli Elections, 1996 - 2003 - Tamir Sheafer and Gabriel Wienmann
Part 3: Voting Behavior: Rational Choice and Group Perspectives
7. Coalition Considerations and the Vote - John H. Aldrich, Andre Blais, Indridi H. Indridason, and Renan Levine
8. The Winners and Losers of 2003: Ideology, Social Structure, and Political Change - Michal Shalev and Gal Levy
9. Religious Zionism and the National Religious Party in the 2003 Elections: An attempt to Respond to the Challenges of Religious, Ethnic and Political Schism - Asher Cohen
10. Voting without Voice: About the Vote of the Palestinian Minority in the 16th Knesset Elections - Nadim Rouhana, Nabil Saleh, and Nimer Sultany
11. From "Russians" to Israelis? - Ken Goldstein and Zvi Gitelman
Contributors
Index