The Center
Israel always had parties that could be defined as centrist, and these intermittently found themselves in coalitions or opposition. In the first Knessets the General Zionists (with pre-state roots) and Progressive Party were considered centrist. After these two parties united and then split up again in 1965 (after the Liberal Party joined with the Herut Movement to form Gahal and later the Likud), Israel did not have a strong center party until the emergence of the Democratic Movement for Change, formed in 1976 to run in the elections to the Ninth Knesset.

The DMC was very similar in its basic approach and slogans to the Center Party formed to run in the current elections to the 15th Knesset. Headed by a former chief of General Staff, Yigael Yadin, it called for a "different type of politics" and attracted politicians from both the Labor Party and the Likud. It called for the preparation of a constitution and for the separation of religion and state. However, after an impressive success in the elections (it received 15 seats) the party disintegrated within a year, and only one of its components -- Shinui, headed by Amnon Rubinstein -- survived, eventually to join Meretz.

The new Center Party formed to run in the elections to the 15th Knesset is headed by three former members of the Likud (Yitzhak Mordechai, Dan Meridor, and Ronni Milo) and one former chief of General Staff (Amnon Lipkin-Shahak). They have been joined by several former members of the Labor Party and "refugees" from other parties and groups. Since the Labor Party has moved in recent years from the left toward the center in its economic policy, and the Likud has moved from the right toward the center in its approach to the peace process, one might be tempted to conclude that the three major parties today and their three leaders are all centrist, and that the major differences among them are in their personalities and styles.