page_title: Politics of Israel
section_title: Political left
hierarchical_section_title: Politics of Israel / Other political groups / Political left
caption_attribution_description: English: Graffiti Tel Aviv, Ha-Rav Yitskhak Yedidya Frenkel St - close up English: this drawing illustrates friendship between jews and arabs&#160;: on the left, "Srulik", a cartoon character symbolizing Israel, and on the right, Handala, a cartoon character by Naji Al-Ali, a 10 yo barefoot boy, has become one of the most powerful symbols for the Palestinians עברית: גרפיטי על קיר בנין ברחוב ידידיה פרנקל שכונת פלןרנטין תל-אביב יפו
context_page_description: Politics in Israel is dominated by Zionist parties. They traditionally fall into three camps, the first two being the largest: Labor Zionism, Revisionist Zionism and Religious Zionism. There are also several non-Zionist Orthodox religious parties, non-Zionist secular left-wing groups as well as non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Israeli Arab parties.
context_section_description: On the political left:
  Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and was critical of government's policy in withdrawing from Lebanon after the 1982–1986 war and the subsequent withdrawal from South Lebanon.
  Geneva Initiative and The People's Voice (HaMifkad HaLeumi), two peace initiatives led by prominent Israeli and Palestinian public figures that surfaced in 2004. These initiatives were based on unofficial bilateral understandings between the two sides, and offer models for a permanent agreement.
  HaHistadrut ("The Union"; short for "the General Union of the Workers in Israel"), an umbrella organization for many labor unions in Israel. In the past, was identified with the different forms of the Israel Labor party; nowadays, the chairman of the Histadrut is Offer Eyni. The former chairman Amir Peretz became head of the socialist One Nation party, which eventually merged into Labor in 2004, which Peretz led from November 2005 to June 2007.
  Several radical left-wing organizations calling soldiers to refuse service in the West Bank and Gaza; the best known are Ometz LeSarev ("Courage to Refuse") and Yesh Gvul (There's a limit/border).
  Ma'avak Sotzialisti (Socialist Struggle) campaigns against privatisation and the worsening conditions faced by workers and young people in Israel.
  Left-leaning politics are traditionally supported by Israel's academic, cultural, and business elites, as well as its security establishment.
caption: The Peace Kids, a mural affiliated with the Israeli left in Tel Aviv depicting Palestinian Handala and Israeli Srulik embracing one another.
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