On the left, Mapam demanded that the fighting be sustained until all the territory included in the UN resolution of November 29, 1947 had been conquered. In other words, until the IDF had conquered the territories earmarked for the Jewish state as well as those earmarked for the Arab state. Mapam believed that Israel could establish both states, one Jewish and one Arab, according to the UN resolution. Some individuals in Mapam held, in the spirit of Soviet and international socialism, that a single bi-national state should be established once the entire area had been conquered. 

 

 

On the right was the Herut movement led by Menachem Begin. Herut too demanded continued fighting, but for an entirely different set of reasons. According to Herut, the entire territory of the land of Israel, including the east bank of the Jordan, should be conquered, and acceptance of the UN partition plan thus revoked. Herut wanted to establish a Jewish state on the entire historical territory and not to negotiate with Arab countries as long as their forces remained in this territory. 

 

 

Ben Gurion rejected both proposals, from the left and the right, and decided to establish the state more or less within the borders established by the IDF in early 1949. Before the elections he was already engaged in negotiations with Egypt and Jordan, adopting a flexible, practical stance, with the aim of ending the war and turning his attention to the building of the young state. ​

 

The disagreements were not new. Mapai and Ben Gurion represented a pragmatic approach that combined socialist ideology with political flexibility. Their objective was to become part of international power relations while promoting one goal: the establishment of a Jewish state in Israel. By contrast, Mapam was far more ideological. Moreover, Mapai had been in control of many institutions for many years, certainly since the 1930s. Ya'ari and Chazan sought to promote pure socialist doctrine, building a society of agriculturalists and workers with a revolutionary pro-Soviet, albeit Zionist, character.

 

The struggle exceeded ideological-theoretical bounds. Key figures in important official positions were involved in personal conflicts, particularly with regard to those in high ranking security related positions. The leadership of the Palmach consisted largely of people who were identified with Mapam or at least with the left. Given that the Palmach was the nucleus for the formation of the IDF in late May 1948, the personal and principle arguments that existed prior to the establishment of the state were carried over into the discussion regarding the appointment of IDF senior officials during the War of Independence.

 

The struggle was so intense that in July 1948 Ben Gurion announced his resignation from office, thus creating a crisis that triggered the resignation of several generals who were identified with Mapam. The move included the firing of Israel Galilee, the commander of the Hagana. This was a complex maneuver designed by Ben Gurion to oust people who identified politically and ideologically with Mapam from the upper echelons of the IDF. Ben Gurion withdrew his resignation, this having been accomplished, and in September 1948 disbanded the Palmach, which he regarded as a politically biased military organ that should not exist independently in a sovereign state. Ben Gurion's principle of statehood won out, but the conflict with Mapam worsened and left a wake of significant grudges and resentment. It was in this atmosphere that elections for the Constituent Assembly took place, while the echoes of the War of Independence had yet to abate.

 

It was in these circumstances that Reshimat HaLochamim – a party that included several individuals who had been involved in the Stern Gang (Lechi) -- was established.  Among these individuals were Natan Yellin-Mor, Israel Eldad and Yitzhak Shamir, who years later would become prime minister (Likud). The party managed to win only one seat, and Yellin-Mor, a Stern Gang commander, became a member of the Knesset. All in all, 5,363 people voted for the party, or 1.2% of the admissible votes.​