Protest Politics in the Israeli Democracy

Abstract

The amount of pressure which the rank-and-file members of the public are able and willing to exert, the degree of influence which they can bring to bear on the political elite's policy decisions through extraelectoral processes, and the degree of responsiveness of the political elite to the demands of the rank-and-file in interelectoral periods frequently are considered as important criteria for measuring the extent of democracy in a sociopolitical system.' This holds especially for a system in which-unlike the Anglo-American cases-the probability of periodical replacement of the party in office is limited and the rank-andfile's ability to exert influence on policy through the electoral process itself is, therefore, markedly decreased. Such is the case of Israel. Despite universal suffrage coupled with a multiparty system, the party now in office-the Israel Labor party (formerly Mapai)-has maintained its position as the dominant partner of changing coalitions in all governments since the establishment of the state in 1948. Moreover, this party has been holding its position ever since the early 1930S, in the Jewish self-government under the British