Uniqueness and Similarities in the Study of Israeli Parties: The Case of the 2003 Elections

Abstract

A survey of the literature on Israeli parties and elections reveals a gradual shift from a perception of the country as sui generis toward the study of Israeli parties as a seedbed for hypotheses to be tested elsewhere. The dramatic nature of the Israeli party system also renders it a suitable testing ground for dynamic heuristic models, such as one that explains strategic choices that guide party competitiveness under shifting circumtances. The present article illustrates this claim by introducing the concept of the party goal triangle and examining it through an analysis of the 2003 electoral campaign. Focus is placed on the movement of the main competitors along the triangle legs as forms of adjustment to electoral reform, and on the factors constraining a party's choice of strategy.