Factional and Government Make-Up of the Fifteenth Knesset

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Factional and Government Make-Up of the Fifteenth Knesset

Elected on 17 May, 1999.

Speaker: Avraham Burg
Deputy Speakers: Naomi Chazan, Abdulmalik Dehamshe, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Gideon Ezra, Shmuel Halpert, Nahum Langental, Maxim Levy, Yehudith Naot, Dalia Rabin-Pelossof, Avraham Ravitz, Reuven Rivlin, David Tal.
Secretary General: Arye Hahn

Name of List Votes in Percentage Number of Seats Number of Seats Before Next Elections

One Israel ¹ 20.2 26 0

Likud ² 14.1 19 21

Shas 13 17 17

Meretz 7.6 10 10

Yisrael Be`aliyah ³ 5.1 6 4

Shinui 5 6 6

Center Party ² 5 6 3

National Religious Party 4.2 5 5

Yahadut Hatorah 3.7 5 5

United Arab List ⁴ 3.4 5 2

Ihud Leumi ⁵ 3 4 0

Yisrael Beitenu ⁵ 2.6 4 0

Hadash 2.6 3 3

National Democratic Assembly (Balad) ⁶ 1.9 2 1

Am Ehad 1.9 2 2

Labor-Meimad ¹ 0 0 25

Ihud Leumi-Yisrael Beteinu ⁵ 0 0 7

Gesher ¹ 0 0 2

Democratic Choice ³ 0 0 2

National Arab Party ⁴ 0 0 2

Arab Movement for Renewal ⁶ 0 0 1

Herut - National Movement ⁵ 0 0 1

National Unity - National Progressive Alliance ⁴ 0 0 1

¹ Gesher left One Israel and the New Way joined. One Israel changed its name to Labor-Meimad.
² Two members from the Center Party joined the Likud.
³ Two members left Yisrael Be'aliyah and established the Democratic Choice.
⁴ Three MKs left the United Arab List: Two established the National Arab Party and one established National Unity - National Progressive Alliance.
⁵ Ichud Leumi merged with Yisrael Beitenu, and Herut left that united parliamentary group.
⁶ One member left Moledet and established Right Israel. MK Joseph Bagad also left and became a single MK.

The twenty-eighth government was formed by Ehud Barak on July 6, 1999. The members of the coalition were One Israel, Shas, Meretz, Center Party, Mafdal, Yahadut Hatorah, and Yisrael B'Aliya. When the government was formed, there were 18 active ministers, and that number later increased to 24. Yahadut Hatorah resigned in September 1999 over the transport of a turbine on Shabbat. The government fell due to security issues following the onset of the El Aksa Intifada.

The twenty-ninth government was formed by Ariel Sharon on March 7, 2001, following the special direct elections for a new prime minister. The government was a wide, National Unity Government which included Likud, Labor-Meimad, Shas, Center Party, Mafdal, Yahadut Hatorah, Yisrael B'Aliya, and Ichud Leumi-Yisrael Beteinu. At the formation of the government, there were 26 ministers, and at its height, the government included 29 ministers.