Socialism in Israel


Socialism in Israel encompasses ideologies ranging from labor Zionism, which formed the state's early system, to non-Zionist and anti-Zionist socialist movements. While socialist principles have been the primary driving force behind pre-state development and early three decades of statehood, this movement has always been characterized by complex tensions between national aspirations and internationalist socialist ideals.

History

Foundations and the era of hegemony (1904–1977)

The origins of Israeli socialism predate the state itself, rooted in the Second and Third Aliyah. Influenced by the Russian Revolution and Narodnik ideology, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe established the first kibbutzim and the Histadrut, forming the organizational backbone of the Yishuv.
After independence in 1948, David Ben-Gurion's Mapai party established a political hegemony that lasted for nearly three decades. At the heart of this period was the Mamlachtiyut policy, in which the government institutionalized socialist ideals in state institutions. The state exercised strong control over the economy through centralized planning and public ownership of land and major industries. During the "Golden Age" of Israeli socialism, Histadrut established a comprehensive and national united social safety net as the nation's largest employer and healthcare provider through Clalit as well as trade unions. By the 1950s, the Histadrut-affiliated healthcare provider, Clalit, covered approximately 80% of the Israeli population, while the organization itself employed nearly 25% of the country's workforce.
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants were integrated into collective state projects during this period, but they also faced criticism for the marginalization of Mizrahi Jews and Arab citizens within the Ashkenazi-led socialist system.

Economic transformation and contemporary social democracy

Socialist hegemony began to crumble in the late 1970s and culminated in the Economic Stabilization Plan in 1985. This marked the beginning of neoliberal reforms, the privatization of many state-owned enterprises, and kibbutzim, transforming Israel into a market-oriented economy.
In the 21st century, Israeli socialism developed largely into a modern social democratic movement. Modern activists and political parties, such as Meretz and Israeli Labor Party, now focus on addressing socioeconomic inequality, housing costs, and rising rights to minorities. This shift was most evident in the 2011 Social Justice protests, calling for hundreds of thousands of Israelis to return to a stronger welfare state and collective responsibility. In 2024, the left-wing The Democrats was founded by Meretz and the Israeli Labor Party, but the party, unlike before, tends to advocate "liberal democracy" against the right-wing conservatism of Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu rather than "labor Zionism."

Types

Labor Zionism (socialist Zionism)

The most influential transformation in Israeli socialism was the Jewish nationalism and labor Zionism, which sought to integrate a socialist model of production. The movement claimed that Jewish national home could only be achieved through the creation of Jewish proletariat engaged in rural and urban labor. Under the philosophy of "Constructive Socialism," major political groups such as Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda focused on building tangible infrastructure for the state through collective efforts rather than solely on class struggle. This era was marked by the rise of the Kibbutz movement, in which the egalitarian community practiced collective ownership, and the Histadrut, which functioned as a huge socio-economic organization controlling a large portion of the country's economy.

Non-Zionist or anti-Zionist socialism

Beyond the Zionist mainstream, Israel has a long tradition of radical left-wing movements that prioritize class solidarity over nationalist goals. The Israeli Communist Party (Maki) has historically served as a non-Zionist platform for both Jews and Arab socialists following Marxist–Leninist doctrine. In the 1960s, more radical departures emerged, with organizations such as Matzpen explicitly taking anti-Zionist positions and criticizing the country's nationalist base. Even in modern times, this legacy continues through Hadash, a socialist front that advocates for Arab-Jewish cooperation, social justice, and ending occupation, marking a shift toward binationalist and anti-capitalist advocacy. In addition, Balad party and other combine social democracy with Arab or Palestinian nationalism.