The election of 1977 was expected to be more of the same, with the Labor continuing its long political dominance in Israel. However, that is not how the election turned out. A number of factors contributed to what would be known as “an earthquake” in Israeli politics. First, Israel had not yet recovered from the Yom Kippur War, and although in the immediate aftermath of the war, the Labor Party won the election of 1973, it was not long after that Golda Meir felt she had to resign and was replaced by Yitzhak Rabin.

Yet Rabin himself resigned after it was discovered that his wife Leah had illegally maintained a dollar in the US following their return from his tenure as Israeli Ambassador to Washington. Shimon Peres replaced Rabin. After ruling the country since 1948, a sense of corruption began to taint the Labor leadership, with several ministers under investigation during this period.

Consequently, two new parties emerged. “Shinui,” led by Amnon Rubinstein, aimed at changing the electoral system, and “Democratic Movement for Change” (DMC), led by Yigal Yadin — both a hero from the War of Independence and a noted archeologist. Finally, the Likud party gained increasing support, particularly among the Mizrachi community in Israel, who felt discriminated against, especially by the Labor Party. “Shinui” and the “DMC” merged. As someone who was active in the new party, I can attest to the fact that there was genuine hope for reforming the electoral system in Israel.

After the election, the Likud emerged as the largest party, garnering 43 seats; the National Religious Party received 12 seats, and DMC earned 15. As a result, in 1977, for the first time in the party’s history, the Likud was able to form a government. The DMC joined the coalition, and although Yigal Yadin became the Deputy Prime Minister, the DMC achieved none of the changes it campaigned to achieve. The Likud has mostly dominated Israeli politics ever since.