The party presents itself as an ultra orthodox religious party, but above all, as a Sephardic party. The party won 4 seats in 1984 and attracted the votes of the Tami. In 1996, they won 10 seats; in 1999 they won 17 seats. It is the second religious party in Israel and is the second party together with the Likoud. Until the end of the 90s it was, from all the religious parties, the less opposed to the idea of a Palestinian State. Since then, the party became more radical under the influence of their number two, Elie Souissa, determined actor of the colonization of the Jewish population in the occupied territories.
Agoudat Israel.
Leader: Menachem Porush.
This Ashkenazi ultra orthodox party was founded in 1912 in Kattowitz as the Palestinian branch of the Worldwide Organization of the Israeli Agoudat. They advocate the strict observance of the religious law and do not recognize the State of Israel. The party is composed of a supreme authority which has to officially prove or disapprove the decisions taken by the elected among the Knesset party. In 1992, the party joins the Torah unit.
Yahadut Hatorah, Torah Unit.
Leader: Avraham Porush.
The founding of the party in 1988 resulted from the Israeli Agoudat scission against the continuous rise in the Hassic movement (religious stream founded in Poland in the 18th century). The party wins 2 seats at the elections but will not prosper. It is often qualified as « sister Ashkenazi party of the Sephardic Shas. In 1992, it joins the Torah unit, together with Agouda.
Tami, the Israeli traditional movement.
Created in 1981 by Abuhatzeira, a National Religious Party Minister issued from a famous rabbinic line from Morocco. The Tami (Israeli Tradition Movement) was a Sephardic party, more precisely, a Moroccan one. It was more a traditional than a religious party. The party was to have a short success at the 1981 elections (3 deputies: 2 defectors of the NRP and one from the Labour Party), but had only one seat left in 1984 which was occupied by Abuhatzeira.
