View source for Moledet

{{Short description|Defunct right-wing political party in Israel}}
{{For|the community in northern Israel|Moledet, Israel}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Moledet
| native_name = מולדת
| country = Israel
| logo = Moledet logo.png
| colorcode = #000080
| leader = {{nowrap|[[Rehavam Ze'evi]] (1988–2001)}}<br />[[Binyamin Elon]] (2001–2008)<br />Uri Bank (2008–2013)
| foundation = 1988
| dissolution = 2013
| merged = [[Tkuma (political party)|Tkuma]]
| national = [[National Union (Israel)|National Union]] (1999–2013)
| headquarters =
| ideology = [[Ultranationalism]]<br>[[Anti-Palestinianism]]<br>[[Population transfer]]<br>[[Religious Zionism]] (after 2001)
| position = [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]] to [[Far-right politics|far-right]]
| international =
| youth_wing =
| european =
| seats1_title = Most MKs
| seats1 = 3 (1992, 1996)
| colours = {{Color box|#000080|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|#568203|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]] and [[green]]
| religion =
| website = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20090203193020/http://www.moledet.org.il/english/|moledet.org.il}}
| symbol = {{Script/Hebrew|ט}}
}}
{{Far-right politics in Israel|Organisations}}

'''Moledet''' ({{langx|he|מולדת||Homeland}}) was a minor [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Moledet and Hatikva parties to run on joint list|date=18 December 2008|work=Ynetnews|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3641021,00.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israel's Christian Soldiers|date=29 September 2003|work=New York Magazine|quote=He is Israel's Tourism minister and the head of Moledet, one of the small right-wing parties that help keep Ariel Sharon in power.|url=https://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Politics/Israel%27s%20Christian%20Soldiers.htm}}</ref> to [[Far-right politics|far-right]]<ref name="Mendilow2003">{{cite book|author=Jonathan Mendilow|title=Ideology, Party Change, and Electoral Campaigns in Israel, 1965-2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5nMEYsLxAoC&pg=PA142|year=2003|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-5587-6|page=142}}</ref> political party in [[Israel]].

==History==
Moledet was established by [[Rehavam Ze'evi]] in 1988.<ref>[http://en.idi.org.il/tools-and-data/israeli-elections-and-parties/political-parties/moledet/ Moledet] Israel Democracy Institute</ref> It won two seats in the [[1988 Israeli legislative election|Knesset elections]] later that year, taken by Ze'evi and [[Yair Sprinzak]]. It joined [[Yitzhak Shamir]]'s [[Twenty-fourth government of Israel|government]] in February 1991 and Ze'evi was appointed Minister without Portfolio. However, he resigned from the cabinet on 21 January the following year.<ref>[https://www.knesset.gov.il/govt/eng/GovtByNumber_eng.asp?govt=24 Twelfth Knesset: Government 24] Knesset</ref> In the [[1992 Israeli legislative election|1992 elections]], the party won three seats, with [[Yosef Ba-Gad]] and [[Shaul Gutman]] joining Ze'evi in the Knesset. However, Gutman left the party to establish [[Yamin Yisrael]] on 27 July 1995, whilst Ba-Gad left to sit as an independent on 12 March 1996.<ref name=MS>[https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionHistoryAll_eng.asp Mergers and Splits Among Parliamentary Groups] Knesset</ref>

The party won two seats in the [[1996 Israeli general election|1996 elections]], taken by Ze'evi and [[Binyamin Elon]], and supported [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]'s [[Twenty-seventh government of Israel|government]], although it did not join it. On 4 March 1999, the party gained a third MK when [[Moshe Peled (politician)|Moshe Peled]] left [[Tzomet]] to found [[Mehora]], which he immediately merged into Moledet.<ref name=MS/> Prior to the [[1999 Israeli general election|1999 elections]], the party joined the [[National Union (Israel)|National Union]] alliance alongside [[Herut – The National Movement]] and [[Tkuma (political party)|Tkuma]]. The Union won four seats, with two taken by Moledet members Elon and Ze'evi. The alliance joined the [[Twenty-ninth government of Israel|government]] formed by [[Ariel Sharon]] on 7 March 2001 after he won the [[2001 Israeli prime ministerial election|election for Prime Minister]], and Ze'evi was appointed Minister of Tourism. However, he was assassinated by the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine|Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)]] on 17 October 2001, and his seat taken by [[Uri Ariel]] of Tkuma. Elon was elected party leader and assumed Ze'evi's place in the cabinet until 14 March 2002.

Prior to the [[2006 Israeli legislative election|2006 elections]], the National Union formed an alliance with the [[National Religious Party]], which went on to win nine seats; Moledet again held two seats, taken by Elon and Eldad. On 3 November 2008 the party announced a merger with other members of the National Union, the National Religious Party and Tkuma to form a new right-wing party,<ref name=meranda >{{Cite news | last = Meranda | first = Amnon | title = Right-wing parties unite | website = Ynetnews | date= 3 November 2015 | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3617027,00.html | access-date = 3 November 2008 }}</ref> later named [[the Jewish Home]]. However, the Jewish Home excluded ex-Moledet members from the top slots of the candidate list for the [[2009 Israeli legislative election|2009 elections]]. Moledet then rejected the merger and joined the revived National Union. Although the Union won four seats, the highest place Moledet candidate was fifth-placed Uri Bank, who failed to enter the Knesset.

In the lead up to the [[2013 Israeli legislative election|2013 elections]], Tkuma merged with the Jewish Home. Bank supported the merger and allowed Tkuma to continue using the letter 'Tet' on the ballot. Bank received #19 on the list and another member Jeremy Saltan received #63. <ref name=2013Elections>{{Cite news |date=8 November 2012 |title = Moledet Strengthens Unity in Religious Camp |website=Israel National News |access-date = 4 December 2012 |url = http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/161884}}
</ref>[https://www.gov.il/apps/elections/elections-knesset-19/heb/list/Liste173.html?ListId=101]>

==Ideology==
{{see also|Far-right politics in Israel}}
The party advocated encouraging voluntary [[population transfer]] (as opposed to forced transfer) of the [[Arab]] population of the [[West Bank]]. While other parties, namely [[Kach and Kahane Chai|Kach]] and [[Herut]], also advocated transfer, Moledet was the party most associated with the concept in Israel, given the dearth of other elements in its platform and Ze'evi's success in bringing together opposing political elements—both secular and religious—under the transfer flag. Unlike Kach, Moledet advocated only voluntary transfer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/17/israel.guardianobituaries|title=Obituaries: Rehavam Zeevi|website=The Guardian|date=17 October 2001}}</ref>

==Party leaders==
*1988−2001: [[Rehavam Ze'evi]]
*2001−2008: [[Binyamin Elon]]
*2008−2013: Uri Bank

==Election results==
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Election
!Leader
!Votes
!%
!Seats
!+/–
!Status
|-
|[[1988 Israeli legislative election|1988]]
|align=left rowspan=4|[[Rehavam Ze'evi]]
|44,174	
|1.93 (#11)
|{{Composition bar|2|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|New
|{{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
|[[1992 Israeli legislative election|1992]]
|62,269
|2.38 (#8)
|{{Composition bar|3|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|{{increase}} 1
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|-
|[[1996 Israeli general election|1996]]
|72,002
|2.36 (#11)
|{{Composition bar|2|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|{{decrease}} 1
|{{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
|[[1999 Israeli general election|1999]]
|colspan=2 rowspan=5|Part of [[National Union (Israel)|National Union]]
|{{Composition bar|2|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|{{steady}}
|{{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[2003 Israeli legislative election|2003]]
|align=left rowspan=3| [[Binyamin Elon]]
|rowspan=2|{{Composition bar|2|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|rowspan=2|{{steady}}
|{{yes2|Coalition{{small| (2003-2004)}}}}
|-
|{{no2|Opposition{{small| (2004-2006)}}}}
|-
|[[2006 Israeli legislative election|2006]]
|{{Composition bar|2|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|{{steady}}
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|-
|[[2009 Israeli legislative election|2009]]
|align=left| Uri Bank
|{{Composition bar|0|120|{{party color|Moledet}}}}
|{{decrease}} 2
|{{no|Extra-parliamentary}}
|}

==See also==
*[[Elon Peace Plan]]
*[[Kach and Kahane Chai]]
*[[Far-right politics in Israel]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.knesset.gov.il/faction/eng/FactionPage_eng.asp?PG=10 Moledet] Knesset

{{Israeli political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1988 establishments in Israel]]
[[Category:2003 disestablishments in Israel]]
[[Category:Anti-Palestinian sentiment in Israel]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Israel]]
[[Category:Defunct nationalist parties]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Israel]]
[[Category:Far-right political parties in Israel]]
[[Category:Neo-Zionism]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2003]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1988]]
[[Category:Religious Zionist political parties in Israel]]
[[Category:Ultranationalist parties]]