Parties beyond national borders: exploring the activities of Israeli political parties abroad

Avital Friedman,Ofer Kenig

doi:10.1186/s40878-021-00230-8

Avital Friedman, Ofer Kenig

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-021-00230-8

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Abstract

In recent decades it has become a common practice for political parties to have active branches operating outside of their countries. The main reason for this practice is to mobilize potential voters living abroad. Israel, however, is a country in which citizens cannot vote abroad yet some parties nevertheless invest resources for sustaining their activities and branches outside of the country. Using the Israeli case, we aim to uncover additional incentives for parties to be present and active abroad. To do so, we map the activities of Israeli parties abroad and analyse their incentives, relying on documents and in-depth interviews with the parties’ directors of external relations. We find that parties’ activities can be divided into two basic groups. The first one includes diaspora-oriented activities, focusing mainly on maintaining ties with the Jewish communities abroad and gaining control over the institutions of the Zionist organizations. The second is focused on the Israeli state, by both improving the position of the party domestically and promoting Israel internationally according to the party’s ideology.

Highlights

In recent decades it has become a common practice for political parties to have active branches operating outside of their countries
Following a brief review of the literature on political parties abroad, we turn to the Israeli case and delineate some of its interesting features, mainly the absence of overseas voting and the special relations Israel holds with the large noncitizen Jewish diaspora
In order to examine the activities of Israelis parties abroad, we focus on the parties that were represented in the Knesset following the 2015 elections, excluding the Arab and the Jewish ultra-orthodox parties

Summary

Introduction

In recent decades it has become a common practice for political parties to have active branches operating outside of their countries. Many countries extended the right to vote to their citizens living abroad This new competitive arena motivates political parties to find new ways to mobilize potential voters abroad (Ellis 2007). Following a brief review of the literature on political parties abroad, we turn to the Israeli case and delineate some of its interesting features, mainly the absence of overseas voting and the special relations Israel holds with the large noncitizen Jewish diaspora. This is followed by an effort of exploring the ways in which the Israeli parties are active outside of Israel. This exploration uncovers the motivations of Israeli parties to be active abroad

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Conclusion