This poster was probably published in the late 1980s when Mapam was a relatively small party (about three seats) and the party was trying to differentiate itself from other left-wing parties and the leftist peace movement. The poster uses both blue and red lettering. Politically speaking, red is usually associated with both socialism and social justice; in Israel, blue represents Zionism, as the Israeli flag is blue and white. The poster seeks to redefine the left in Israeli terms; in contrast to other countries around the world, the left in Israel is not usually for its socioeconomic connotations but rather in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this poster, which mentions both peace and social justice, Mapam is stating that being left wing refers to both its position as a Zionist party striving for peace with Israel’s neighbours and its general socioeconomic position.
Would You Like to Know More?
Mapam – Mapam was an Israeli socialist-Zionist political party founded in January 1948 following the unification of the workers’ party of Hashomer Hatzair and the Ahdut Ha’avoda Poalei Zion movement. Mapam originally advocated a pro-Soviet policy, but this changed after Stalin’s death in 1954. In 1955 Mapam, joined the Knesset coalition for the first time under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion and gradually became a more moderate and pragmatic party. In the early 1990s Mapam joined the Meretz party.
Elections in Israel – Israel is a democratic country, and general elections for the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, take place, according to the law, once every four years. The nationwide elections are based on a multi-party, proportional representation system. The legal voting age in Israel is 18, and all Israeli citizens from sectors may vote and be elected. Using voting slips with the initials of the parties, citizens vote for their preferred party and not for individual candidates. The 120 seats in the Knesset are then assigned proportionally to the parties according to the number of votes received. After the elections, the president of Israel chooses the leader of the largest party or of the party that is most likely to form a viable coalition government. This leader then forms a government, the Knesset gives it a vote of confidence, and the leader then becomes prime minister.
