Likud and Yisrael Be'Aliya

Number of Seats in 16th Knesset : 38+2      Number of Seats in 15th Knesset : 21 (4)

Campaign Slogans: The People Want Sharon                Now You have a Voice

Likud Chairperson: Ariel Sharon                                      

Ariel Sharon was born at Kfar Malal in 1928. He joined the Haganah at the age of 14 in 1942. During the 1948 War of Independence, he commanded an infantry company in the Alexandroni Brigade. In 1953, he founded and led the "101" special commando unit which carried out retaliatory operations. Sharon was appointed commander of a Paratroop Corps in 1956 and fought in the Sinai Campaign. In 1957 he attended the Camberley Staff College in Great Britain.

During 1958-62, Sharon served as Infantry Brigade Commander and then Infantry School Commander, and attended Law School at Tel Aviv University. He was appointed Head of the Northern Command Staff in 1964 and Head of the Army Training Department in 1966. He participated in the 1967 Six Day War as commander of an armored division. In 1969 he was appointed Head of the Southern Command Staff. Sharon resigned from the army in June 1972, but was recalled to active military service in the 1973 Yom Kippur War to command an armored division that crossed the Suez Canal.

Ariel Sharon was elected to the Knesset in December 1973, but resigned a year later, serving as Security Adviser to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1975). He was elected to the Knesset in 1977. Following the elections, he joined the Herut party and was appointed Minister of Agriculture. Sharon served as Minister of Defense from 1981-83, which position he held during the War in Lebanon. He resigned after a government commission found him indirectly responsible for the September 1982 massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Lebanese Christians. Sharon remained in the government as a minister without portfolio and then served as Minister of Industry and Trade from 1984-90 and as Minister of Housing and Construction from 1990-92. In the 13th Knesset, he served on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Sharon served as Minister of National Infrastructure from July 1996-July 1999, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from October 1998-July 1999.

Re-elected to the 15th Knesset in May 1999, he served as chairman of the Likud following the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu. In a special election for Prime Minister in February 2001, Sharon defeated incumbent Ehud Barak to become the 11th person to hold that position. Sharon is widowed and has two sons.

The Likud (Union) was formed by the joining together of Free Center, Laam and Gahal in preparation for the 1973 elections, and since then has become one of Israel's major conservative parties. It is the largest right wing party, and is considered moderately right wing. Since 1973, the Likud has either been the ruling party in the Knesset or the leading opposition party. Likud was in power from 1996 until 1999 when Netanyahu lost to Ehud Barak and again since February 2001 when Ariel Sharon won the Prime Ministerial Election.

• Willing to negotiate peace with Palestinian leadership "not compromised by terror"

• Not in favor of a Palestinian state, although contradictory statements have been made by Prime Minister Sharon

• Opposed to dismantling of settlements

• Favors maintaining status quo in religious/state issues

Yisrael B'Aliya

• Founded as a party in 1996 by Natan Sharansky (former refusenik). It aims to promote both further aliya [immigration] and the improvement of the situation and rights of current olim [new immigrants]. Represent and advance rights of all immigrants, with particular focus on immigrants from the former Soviet Union

• Views democratized Palestinian Authority as key to progress on peace process

• Yisrael Ba'aliya supports Palestinian autonomy, but not a Palestinian state. Overall security in such an entity must remain in Israel's hands.

•  Chief among its demands are the options for civil marriage and burial.

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Likud Platform

Peace Process

·  The Likud will seek to achieve peace and permanent borders in the framework of peace treaties between Israel and its neighbors and will seek cooperation with them on the practical level. The peace agreements will include full diplomatic relations, borders open to free movement, economic cooperation, and the establishment of joint projects in the fields of science, technology, tourism, and industry. Ariel Sharon has expressed readiness to make substantial concessions for peace, but is being pressured from the right wing to align more strongly with their views.

·  The Arab states' desire for peace will be measured by their efforts to prevent hostile activities by terrorist organizations from their territory and to dismantle the infrastructure of the organizations.

·  Israel will conduct peace negotiations with Syria, while maintaining Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and its water resources.

·  Likud maintains a general principle of negotiability in bilateral negotiations for peace, but opposes territorial compromise.

Pluralism

·  The status quo regarding religion and state will not be undermined. Although Likud is willing to try and meet the needs of the religious communities.

·  "We shall have to ease tensions between the secular and religious, Arab and Jew, Diaspora Jews and Israelis. The intensity of these tensions is often exaggerated, but they do exist. They should be ameliorated through dialogue and compromise, not judicial coercion, abrasive legislation and offensive rhetoric..."

Social and Economic Policy

·  The guiding principles of the economic policy will be: Accelerated growth; full employment; extensive domestic and foreign investments and absorption of immigrants into the labor force. Wide ranging reforms in public health, education and welfare.

Aliyah and Immigration

·  The government will set a goal of having seven million Jews in Israel within the next decade. The government will prepare the country to absorb Jews, both new immigrants and returning citizens, viewing this not only as a national undertaking but as strengthening Israel economically and culturally.

Palestinian Issue

·  The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of Self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and Ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with Imperatives of Israel's existence, security and national needs.

Jerusalem

·  Jerusalem is the eternal, united capital of the State of Israel and only of Israel.

·  Likud will reject Palestinian proposals to divide Jerusalem and firmly rejects attempts to question Jerusalem's status as Israel's capital.

Foreign Policy

·  Israel's foreign policy will serve its security interests and the hope for peace and economic prosperity. Expanding economic ties will be a main task of the Foreign Ministry. Israel will continue to view its relations with the United States as the cornerstone of its foreign policy, with ties between the two countries grounded in shared values of freedom, justice, and democracy.

Likud card