Telem (2019 political party)

Telem (Hebrew: תל״ם‎, an acronym for Tnua Leumit Mamlakhtit, lit. National Statesman-like Movement) is a centre-right political party in Israel. The party was formed by former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and registered on 2 January 2019 in order to contest the April 2019 Knesset elections.[3] It subsequently joined the Blue & White alliance. Yesh Atid and the party left the alliance on 29 March 2020 and formed an independent faction in the Knesset called Yesh Atid-Telem.[4]

Telem תל״ם‎
Leader	Moshe Ya'alon
Founded	2 January 2019
Split from	Likud
Ideology	Zionism Economic liberalism National liberalism Liberal conservatism Conservative liberalism
Political position	Centre[1] to centre-right[2]
National affiliation	Blue & White (2019–2020) Yesh Atid-Telem (2020–present)
Colours	Dark blue
Slogan	Choosing responsibility.
Knesset	3 / 120
Website
www.telem-il.org
Politics of Israel Political parties Elections

History

In the wake of conflicts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Hebron shooting incident and Yisrael Beiteinu joining Netanyahu's coalition,[5] Moshe Ya'alon left his defense minister post in May 2016 "amidst wide-spread speculation that he would be fired by Netanyahu". On 12 March 2017, Ya'alon officially relinquished his membership of Likud, announcing that he will form a new party to challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming 2019 election.[6]

The party was named in remembrance of former Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and his party, Telem. Ya'alon said "he was a soldier for Israel for decades, and he would continue to serve the public in his new party".[6]

In advance of the April 2019 Knesset elections, Telem merged with the Israel Resilience Party and Yesh Atid. Ya'alon was positioned third on the new united list, known as the Blue & White alliance.[7] The party received five seats in the April 2019 Knesset elections, out of 35 seats that the entire alliance received. In the subsequent September 2019 Knesset elections, the party ran again as part of the Blue & White alliance and retained their five seats out of the 33 seats that the entire alliance received.

Party goals

Alternative logo introduced in late 2019.

The party's goals as laid out by its registration papers are:[8]

• Strengthening and fortifying the State of Israel in the Land of Israel as a Jewish, democratic, secure, prosperous and moral state, while fostering Jewish-Zionist education and values and electing honest leadership committed to the welfare of the State and its citizens irrespective of religion, race, sex or gender.
• Ensuring the sovereignty and security of the State of Israel and the security of all its citizens. The party will strive to achieve true peace between the State of Israel and its neighbors.
• Supporting a free and open economy.
• Working to improve the development of the state's infrastructure and services and the welfare of the country's citizens and to reduce bureaucracy and regulation for the welfare of the citizens of Israel in all areas of life: health, education, housing, transportation, national infrastructure, settlement, agriculture, welfare, personal security and industry.
• Acting to redetermine national priorities in planning and financing, while maximizing the utilization of national resources and working to meet goals.
• Cultivating culture and sports in an egalitarian and representative manner, giving priority to the allocation of resources and investment in populations with disabilities, elderly and the youth.

The party puts a big emphasis on increasing settlement in Israel's disputed areas. During a visit to the West Bank settlement Leshem, The party's leader Moshe Ya'alon said: "It is our right to settle in the entire land of Israel".[9]

Leaders

	Leader		Took office	Left office
		Moshe Ya'alon	2019	Incumbent

Election results

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Status
April 2019	Moshe Ya'alon	Part of Blue and White		5 / 120		Snap election
September 2019	Moshe Ya'alon	Part of Blue and White		5 / 120		Snap election
2020	Moshe Ya'alon	Part of Blue and White		5 / 120		Opposition

Knesset members

Knesset term	Members	Total
2019	5	Moshe Ya'alon, Yoaz Hendel, Zvi Hauser, Orly Fruman, Gadi Yevarkan
2019–2020	5	Moshe Ya'alon, Yoaz Hendel, Zvi Hauser, Orly Fruman, Gadi Yevarkan (until 15 January 2020)[10]
2020	5	Moshe Ya'alon, Yoaz Hendel, Zvi Hauser, Orly Fruman, Andrey Kozhinov
2020-Present	3	Moshe Ya'alon, Orly Fruman, Andrey Kozhinov

References

1. "Analysis: Gantz throws Bibi a political lifeline". Labour friends of Israel. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
2. Kaufman, Karen (28 March 2019). "The Parties in Israel's 2019 Parliamentary Election". Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
3. Raoul Wootliff (2 January 2019). "Former defense chief Ya'alon launches new political party, Telem". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
4. Raoul Wootliff (29 March 2020). "Knesset panel okays breakup of Blue and White; Gantz keeps name". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
5. Judah Ari Gross. "Netanyahu summons Ya'alon for 'clarification' over speech on IDF values". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
6. Magid, Jacob (12 March 2017). "Former defense minister Ya'alon officially quits Likud". The Times of Israel.
7. Staff writer. "United Gantz-Lapid party to be called 'Blue and White'; no women in top 6". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
8. Elections Committee. "מסמכי רישום המפלגה". Elections Committee Website (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
9. Staff Writer. "יעלון בלשם: "זכותנו להתיישב בכל מקום בארץ ישראל"". Kipa (in Hebrew). Retrieved 3 February 2019.
10. Idan Yosef (16 January 2020). "יוראי להב הרצנו יחליף את גדי יברקן". News1 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 16 January 2020.