Israeli Labour Party

Moderate, left-of-centre Zionist party, which supports territorial compromise as a means of achieving peace with Israel's Arab neighbours. The party's roots go back to Mapai (the Israel Workers' Party), which began in the 1930s, and to Jewish movements in late-19th century Russia.

The Israeli Labour Party was formed in 1968, when Mapai merged with the more radical Achdut Ha'avoda and the technocrat Rafi factions. It held power until 1977 under prime ministers Golda Meir (1969-74) and Yitzhak Rabin (1974-77) and again from 1984 to 1986 under Shimon Peres, in coalition with its right-wing rivals, Likud. Under prime ministers Rabin (1992-95), Peres (1995-96), and Ehud Barak (1999-2001), the Labour party has strongly supported the Israel-Palestine peace process, based around compromise with the Palestinians and acceptance of the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Traditionally, Israel's Arab population have been strong supporters of Labour, but in the February 2001 election barely a quarter turned out to vote. They blamed Barak for the deaths in October 2000 of 13 members of their community, killed by Israeli security forces during violent demonstrations in support of the Palestinian Intifada.