The comparison between the 1973 election period and the current election year we find ourselves in is both shocking and disturbing.
- Nir Topper
- Jun 27
- 4 min read
The election campaign for the Eighth Knesset, held on December 31, 1973, marks one of the most significant turning points in the history of the State of Israel. Originally, the elections were scheduled to take place in October in an atmosphere of economic prosperity and a sense of security, with the expectation that the Alignment (HaMa'arakh) party's hegemony would continue. However, the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War on October 6, 1973, led to the postponement of the elections due to the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of citizens to the front lines. This legal postponement was made possible only through the enactment of a "Temporary Order" (Hora'at Sha'ah) that bypassed Basic Law: The Knesset.
Even before the war, the political map had begun to shift. In the opposition, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Ariel Sharon initiated and worked toward the establishment of the Likud party, headed by Menachem Begin. At the same time, the activity of the Black Panthers was intensifying, and their protests regarding the ethnic divide gained momentum. Following the war, after failing to secure a realistic spot on the Alignment's electoral list, Member of Knesset Shulamit Aloni founded the Civil Rights Movement (Ratz), which ran in the elections for the Eighth Knesset and won three seats.
The election campaign was conducted in the shadow of mourning for the fallen soldiers of the war and the Likud's demand for ministerial responsibility. The Alignment party chose the slogan "Nevertheless - Alignment" (B'khol Zot - Ma'arakh)—a slogan that expressed an implicit admission of failure in managing the country, yet without taking actual responsibility, while asking the public for renewed trust. Organizing the voting process required complex logistical preparation, including the operation of mobile ballot boxes in units stationed on the front lines—in Syria and across the Suez Canal—and the use of the double-envelope system for the tens of thousands of mobilized soldiers.
The election results indicated a comprehensive shift. Although the Alignment remained in power, its strength dropped from 56 to 51 seats, while the Likud strengthened significantly, securing 39 seats. An analysis of the voting patterns showed a direct and exceptional transfer of voters from the ruling party to the opposition, contrary to the traditional pattern in which defecting voters first migrate to centrist or intermediate parties. The gap of merely 12 seats between the two major parties heralded the emergence of the two-bloc political system, which would become the central characteristic of Israeli politics in the 1980s.
Following the elections, Golda Meir formed the 16th Government ("Golda's Third Government"), which was sworn in on March 10, 1974. The coalition was based on the same factions that had supported her previous government—the Alignment, the National Religious Party (Mafdal), and the Independent Liberals—and consisted of 68 Members of Knesset. The government included Moshe Dayan in the role of Minister of Defense, as if nothing had happened, a move that drew harsh criticism.
Even before the formation of the government, the one-man protest of Capt. (Res.) Moti Ashkenazi had begun, demanding ministerial responsibility from the political echelon, headed by Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. Subsequently, thousands joined him, and the protest movement expanded. After the government was formed, the Agranat Commission published its interim report, which placed the blame solely on the military echelon and exempted the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense from direct responsibility—conclusions that sparked a public uproar and intensified the protests.
The public pressure ultimately prevailed, and in April 1974, Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned. She was succeeded by Yitzhak Rabin, who had served as Minister of Labor in Meir's short-lived government and was not perceived as part of the failure due to his tenure as Israel's Ambassador to Washington during the war. This move symbolized the end of the founders' era and established—albeit partially and limited in practice—the concept of ministerial responsibility within Israeli democracy.
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Image 1 - 1973 Elections, data. Source: The Israel Democracy Institute website.
Image 2 - 1973 Elections, election results. Source: Nir Topper.
Image 3 - The sixteenth Government of Israel, headed by Golda Meir, at the residence of President Ephraim Katzir. Standing from left to right: Pinchas Sapir, Shlomo Hillel, Shimon Peres, Gideon Hausner, Michael Chazani, Abba Eban, Yosef Burg, Moshe Kol, Yitzhak Rafael, Haim Yosef Zadok, Shlomo Rosen, Haim Gvati, Yisrael Galili, Yitzhak Rabin, Aharon Uzan, Aharon Yariv, Moshe Dayan, Haim Bar-Lev, and Michael Arnon (Cabinet Secretary). Seated from left to right: Golda Meir, Ephraim Katzir, and Yigal Allon. Source: Knesset website, gov16.
Video - Trailer for the film "Golda"; a 2019 Israeli-German co-production documentary. The film focuses on the tenure of Golda Meir (1898–1978) as Prime Minister of Israel. The directors of the film are Sagi Bornstein, Udi Nir, and Shani Rozanes. Source: Wikipedia, entry: Golda (documentary film).
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