One Israel (Israel Ehad, "One Israel" in Hebrew)
ONE ISRAEL (Israel Ehad, "One Israel" in Hebrew)
Israeli electoral coalition, formed on 22 March 1999, by the leader of the Labor Party, Ehud Barak, in anticipation of general elections the following May. This bloc united the Labor Party, Gesher of David Levy, and the Meimad of Yehuda Amital. As a result of the elections of 17 May, this list won 26 seats in the Knesset, and the leader of the Labor Party was elected prime minister. For the Labor Party, this result represented, nevertheless, a relative failure compared to the 1996 elections, when it won 34 seats for itself alone, even though party leader Shimon Peres had been defeated by Benjamin Netanyahu in the election for prime minister. On 20 February 2001, One Israel was weakened by the defeat of Ehud Barak in the election for prime minister, running against the head of Likud, Ariel Sharon. While seven members of the Labor Party joined the national unity government of Sharon, and Rabbi Michael Melchior of Meimad became Deputy Minister for Diaspora Affairs, no member of Gesher had any part in it.
SEE ALSO Barak, Ehud;Gesher "Bridge" Party;Israel Labor Party;Knesset;Levy, David;Likud;Meimad;Netanyahu, Benjamin;Peres, Shimon.