| ID | 154870 |
| Title Proper | Half-heartedly |
| Other Title Information | Menachem begin and the establishment of the Likud Party |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Goldstein, Amir |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article seeks to add another dimension to the growing and extensive research on right-wing Zionism, by returning to an era when the Likud was first created. I will examine the major difference between processes that have led to the two key landmarks in the formative years of the Right in Israel: the establishment of Gahal in April 1965 and the founding of the Likud in August–September of 1973. While Gahal's establishment was a product of a prolonged, determined, patient and conscious effort on the part of Menachem Begin, the establishment of the Likud was, to a considerable degree, forced upon him. Those who were interested in expanding Gahal and creating an alignment of centre-right parties were actually the factors outside Herut, while Herut's more veteran leadership disapproved of these attempts. Within the Herut Movement, the voices that called for the creation of a broad political alignment were those that came from Herut's ‘internal opposition’, which revolved around Ezer Weizman. The article analyses the reasons behind Begin's reservations about a continued right-wing merger, examines the negotiation process and sheds light on the oscillation in Menachem Begin's ideology and politics between the fundamental and the pragmatic poles. |
| `In' analytical Note | Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 53, No.6; Nov 2017: p.915-933 |
| Journal Source | Middle Eastern Studies 2017-12 53, 6 |
| Key Words | Likud Party ; Menachem ; Half-Heartedly |