This is an election poster created by the National Union in 2003. The National Union was an association of three separate right-wing parties, Yisrael Beiteinu, Moledet and Tkuma, whose leaders appear together on this poster. The poster shows (from left to right): Tzvi Hendel from Tkuma, an orthodox party, Benny Elon from Moledet, a mixed religious and secular party, and Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, a secular party originally founded by Russian immigrants. The three politicians are dressed in different styles: Hendel is wearing an open-necked shirt, Elon has a tie, and Lieberman is wearing a black suit. The poster features "ל", the letter used to represent the National Union party in the ballot. The caption at the top of the poster is “Don’t give terror a state,” referring to the wave of terrorism that was taking place around this election. The National Union believed in taking strong action against terrorism and restricting the power of the Palestinian Authority and other terror organisations which, they believed, were working towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. This ideology resulted in the National Union gaining seven seats in the 16th Knesset.
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2003 Israeli Elections – The elections for the 16th Knesset were held on January 28, 2003. These elections were only for the parliament, since according to the law at that time, Ariel Sharon would remain prime minister. The elections were held in the shadow of a deteriorating security situation with the Second Intifada and Operation Defensive Shield. Many also believe that Sharon decided to hold the elections in order to strengthen his political power that had diminished due to investigations of corruption against him. One of the main issues of the election campaign was the protest against the exemption of Haredi men from compulsory military service. The result of the elections gave the Likud a large increase of votes, less seats for the Labour Party, and an increase of nine seats to Shinui, which became the third largest party in the Knesset.
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.
