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‘The Democrats’ – Israel’s Labor unites with far-left faction to form new party

After being shut out of Knesset in last election, far-left Meretz party unites with Labor to form new left-wing faction called ‘The Democrats.’

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Two left-wing Israeli political parties have merged to form a new faction, activists announced Sunday night.

The Israeli Labor Party, which dominated Israeli politics for the first three decades of Israel’s existence, joined forces with Meretz, a far-left faction, to form a new political party called “The Democrats.”

The new alliance is not merely a technical bloc, under which parties can remain autonomous and only unite for Knesset elections; rather it constitutes a complete merger of Meretz and Labor, replacing the two parties.

“Unlike in the past, this is not a ‘technical bloc,’ but a historic move that finally creates one large and united party, a liberal-democratic Zionist party that will serve as a political home for a large public in Israel,” the new party said in a statement Sunday night.

“The union is a necessary step in building a large and strong democratic base that will lead to the replacement of the extreme right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.”

The move comes after Meretz was shut out of the current Knesset, following several thousand votes short of the 3.25% electoral threshold needed for Knesset representation. This marks the first time since Meretz’s formation in 1992 – and since the formation of its forebearer, Ratz, in 1973 – that the party failed to enter the Knesset.

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While recent polls show Meretz narrowly crossing the electoral threshold if new elections were held today, virtually ever survey conducted over the past year has shown Labor below the threshold, leaving left-wing activists concerned one or both of the parties could end up out of the next Knesset – wasting hundreds of thousands of votes.

“The radical Left is alive and kicking,” tweeted Meretz chairman Tomer Reznik.

“We didn’t unite just to get back into the Knesset; we united in order to get back into power. The Zionist Left is here to grow and to strengthen.”