Federal Factions and Federated Host Parties in Israel: Some Ideological and Structural Dimensions

A new type of party has emerged in Israel—the federatedhost party. It consists of political groups and former partieswhich have the status of factions. Formal agreements set therules of the game; hence, heavy constraints are placed on thehost party in appointments and policy. The article discussesthe emergence of federated host parties and federal factions,factors of stability and unrest in the relations of host partyand factions, and the withering away of factions. Factors whichaccount for the emergence of federal factions are: persistence,differences in size of competing parties, chain reaction syndrome,countering electoral decline, crossing the lines, and secessionbrinkmanship. Comparative implications suggest six elementswhich require further study.