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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Israel
Index
Major interest groups in Israel influencing the formulation of
public policy have included the politically powerful Histadrut, the
kibbutzim, and the moshavim, all of which were affiliated with or
represented in most of the political parties. Reportedly, one of
the main reasons for Labor to join the National Unity Government in
1988 was the opportunity for Peres, as minister of finance and
chairman of the Knesset's Finance Committee, to bail out the
Histadrut, the kibbutzim, and the moshavim, which were billions of
dollars in debt.
As of the late 1980s, other economically oriented interest
groups included employer organizations and artisan and retail
merchant associations. In addition, there were major groups
concerned with promoting civil rights, such as the Association for
Civil Rights in Israel and the Association for Beduin Rights in
Israel. Numbered among groups concerned with political issues such
as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, were movements such as Peace
Now and Gush Emunim.
Furthermore, Diaspora Jewry might be considered, in the words
of Canadian scholar Michael Brecher, an externally based foreign
policy interest group. In the late 1980s, Diaspora Jewry, and
especially American Jewry, had become increasingly critical of
Israeli government policy, particularly over the handling of the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and issues concerning religion and
the state.
Data as of December 1988
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