This is an election poster issued by the communist Hadash party in 1992. The poster contains a simple statement proclaiming that peace is two countries, one Israel and one Palestine. The poster is mostly red and white, red being the colour most obviously associated with the communist movement. The poster also states that “The left is Hadash,” thus asserting that despite the fact that many parties claim to have left-wing policies, Hadash is the only real left-wing party in Israeli politics. The letter "ו", used to represent the party in the ballot, appears at the bottom of the poster.
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Hadash – Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) is a far-left party on the Israeli political landscape established by both Jews and Arabs in 1977. The party currently exist as part of the Joint List – a political alliance of the Arab-dominated parties in the Knesset. Hadash was formed as a radical left-wing party, combing the Israeli Communist Party and other leftist groups. Hadash is a non-Zionist party and has declared its support for the international BDS campaign. It emphasises cooperation between Arabs and Jews and was one the first parties to support the idea of a two-state solution, a solution that only gained popularity among mainstream Israeli political parties in recent years. The party is also known for its work on social and environmental issues.
1992 Israeli Elections – The elections for the 13th Knesset took place on 23, 1992. The previous government had been a National Union government, comprising both Likud and Labour, with Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres serving as prime minister in rotation. However, when Shamir led the government, Peres tried to create a narrow Labour government and bring an end to the joint government. Following this, Shamir formed an unstable coalition with right-wing parties that disagreed with Shamir’s policies. The election campaign focused on the deterioration of security due to the Intifada, issues of religion and state, and raising unemployment. The elections resulted in a change of government with Yitzhak Rabin leading a Labour government for the first time in 15 years. This new government led Israel to the Oslo Accords, and Yitzhak Shamir who headed the Likud at the time, resigned from politics, passing the leadership to Benjamin Netanyahu.
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.