Israel is a Jewish and democratic state; a state of all its citizens - Jews and Arabs alike.
As Israel approaches the year 2000, it continues to make impressive strides economically, technologically, scientifically, and culturally. Israel can be a leader among nations in education, standard of living, and in the quality of life of its residents. Concurrently, Israel can create a cohesive society, one which will ensure equal opportunities, mend social rifts, and entrench its democracy and its commitment to human and civil rights.
PEACE AND SECURITY
Palestinian State
The establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel in the framework of the permanent peace agreement will usher in a new reality - two sovereign, separate states living in peace with one another. During the interim period, before the Palestinian state is established, a secure separation is necessary to ensure the personal security of Israeli citizens and Palestinians, and to allow for reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, will not be divided again. The permanent status of the city, as determined by the peace accords, will take into consideration all of Jerusalem's unique religious, national and ethnic populations.
Settlements
Meretz is unequivocally opposed to the settlement policy in the territories. Israel must aspire to eventually dismantle small, isolated settlements, even during the actual negotiations towards the permanent peace agreement. The central considerations used to determine the boundaries of the state should be functions of security and demography. Israel's security must be strengthened and as few as possible Palestinian residents of the territories should remain under Israeli rule or Israelis under Palestinian rule.
Peace with Syria
Despite Syria's hardline position, peace with Syria has strategic importance. Peace with Syria will eliminate the danger of a sudden war, will afford quiet on the northern border, and will pave the way for a full regional peace. Thus, in return for a full peace with Syria, a peace anchored in exacting security arrangements, Israel must agree to a gradual withdrawal to the international border. The security arrangements must be comprehensive and diverse, based on demilitarization, extensive force reduction, sophisticated monitoring techniques and international guarantees.
Israel Defense Forces
The IDF is the army of the people. The government may not involve it in a war which is not defensive, or exploit it for party or personal advancement. Meretz will vie to ensure that the IDF receives the necessary budget allocations to maintain its strength and qualitative superiority. Give the evidence of aggressive nationalism and racism in certain sectors of Israeli society, it is imperative that the IDF take particular care to adhere to its code of morals and act according to the law.
ISRAEL AND DEMOCRACY
Human and Civil Rights
Meretz will act to create an Israeli constitution by completing the legislation of the basic laws which it introduced. Equality will be anchored in thelia. Freedom of religion, conscience and expression, freedom of assembly and the right of every individual to legal protection and due legal process will be guaranteed. The Emergency Security Regulations will be repealed and replaced by Israeli law. Meretz will act to obtain legal status for international conventions guaranteeing human rights of which Israel is a signatory.
Democratic Rule and Good Government
The law against racial incitement will be enforced more vigorously, and activity of racist groups will be prohibited. It is the function of the educational system to continue to promote the values of tolerance, democracy, humanism and co-existence. Freedom of the press and the free flow of information must be unrestricted, with the exception of top security and military matters. Police officers accused of harassment or physical abuse of citizens will be tried within the civil court system.
System of Justice
Criminal statutes will be modified in order to prevent convictions based solely on confessions. A hearing will be granted for those accused of a serious crime, and the accused may be convicted only as a result of a consensus among the judges.
Public Administration
The law for freedom of information which Meretz introduced will be legislated and local authorities will be required to submit full information of citizens' rights to every individual. Supervision of public bodies will be broadened, and workers bringing complaints to light concerning public abuses, corruption, or harassment will be effectively protected from recriminations.
A fixed sum will be determined for a general municipal tax (arnona) which every resident must pay to the local government.
Religion and State
The standards for recognition of Jewish status should be pluralistic and liberal.
The state will respect the right of every citizen and resident to live according to his or her beliefs.
Meretz will oppose any form of coercion in religious affairs. All the laws which were intended to impose religious norms on citizens of the state will be repealed.
The principle of freedom of religion or freedom from religion requires the separation of religion and state.
Civil marriage and divorce will be instituted alongside religious marriage and divorce, and the right to choose between them will be guaranteed.
All religious streams will be considered equal under the law.
Civil cemeteries will be established alongside existing cemeteries.
All vital public services will be provided as needed on the Sabbath.
Yeshiva students will be drafted to the Israeli Defense Forces for full military service.
Arab Citizens of Israel
Arab citizens will be fully Integrated into the civil service including in the role of government ministers.
Any evidence of discrimination toward the Arab population of Israel will be eradicated and affirmative action will be implemented to correct past injustices.
The status of Arabic as Israel's second language will be enshrined in the law and implemented.
The recognition of unrecognized Arab villages will continue. Urban master plans for the expansion of Arab and Druse municipalities will be expedited, and ministerial decisions regarding the villages of Ikrit and Bir'am will be implemented with the necessary changes.
An immediate and fair solution will be sought for problems of the Beduins in the Negev. The solution will respect the Beduin way of life and their preferred lifestyle.
Equality of the Sexes
The goal of the struggle for equality is to guarantee equal status and full rights for women in all spheres of life, and in decision-making positions.
Representation of women will be ensured in the public sector through affirmative action.
The right of every woman to decide to terminate a pregnancy under safe and sanitary conditions will be ensured. Medical coverage will be broadened to include tests and special treatments for women.
All positions In the Israel Defense Forces will be open to women, and suitability will be determined by capability and not by gender.
Women will not be discriminated against in wages, in career advancement and promotions, or in employment and retirement conditions. Placement in daycare centres will be ensured and a long school day implemented.
Income tax credits for women will be cancelled as they only serve to perpetuate inequality. To guarantee equal pay is the real solution for discriminatory differential wages.
Single-parent families will receive all rights and benefits which their status demands.
Status and rights of abandoned women, women who have been refused divorce, or women whose divorce is being held up by the rabbinate will be equated with those of single-parent families.
Sentences for those convicted of domestic violence will be more severe.
Additional shelters for battered women in all sectors of the community will be established with public funds - and support for Rape Crisis Centers will be institutionalized.
Rights of Disabled Individuals
Allocations to handicapped individuals with limited Incomes will be increased and appropriate housing will be provided for them.
Transportation services will be provided for those with restricted mobility. Easy access to all public buildings will be ensured.
Suitable assistance will be provided to individuals with different kinds of disabilities to enable them to fully integrate into work and society.
The legislation ensuring the rights of the handicapped which Meretz introduced will be completed.
Rights of Homosexuals, Lesbians and Bisexuals
The law will ensure that no individual will be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation, in any sphere of life and regarding any activity. The discriminatory listing of homosexuals and lesbians in the police data base will cease.
A THRIVING AND JUST SOCIETY
Economic Well-Being and Social Justice
Meretz will act to establish the basis of a long-term socio-economic policy which will ensure the rise of the index of economic prosperity as well as that of social justice. With every three percent rise in the per capita domestic product, the tax burden will be lowered by one percent thereby reducing the gap between the average income of the top ten percent and the lowest ten percent income brackets by two percent.
The privatization of government-owned economic enterprises will continue in cases where the public good is not harmed and where the enterprise does not constitute a natural monopoly. Workers rights will be ensured in the privatization process.
Wage disputes will be reduced by the gradual increase of the minimum wage to fifty percent of the average wage on the one hand, and on the other hand, by determining reasonable wage ceilings in the public sector, including state companies and corporations.
Policies aimed at reducing poverty and narrowing the social gaps will be pursued.
Proper representation will be ensured to different populations in governmental and economic public bodies, particularly of women, Oriental Jews, new immigrants and Arabs.
Restructuring of the kibbutz and moshav debt will be duly and quickly concluded. Meretz will act to establish a committee to arbitrate the legal dispute involving the scope of the debt and the factors which created the debt. The committee's findings will he the basis for setting out the parameters of the debt restructuring.
Equal Opportunities in Education
Meretz will continue to promote the narrowing of socio-educational gaps by pursuing a policy to heighten the general level of education, by massive input into educational programs geared to advance disadvantaged populations, and by raising educational achievement in all spheres.
Parents' freedom of choice, particularly that of less advantaged social groups, will be respected provided it does not impair integration. When there is a clash between freedom of choice and integration, the parents' choice shall be subject to guidelines so as not to create a distinction between education for the advantaged and education for the disadvantaged. Affirmative action for pupils from disadvantaged areas will be implemented in order to ensure equality.
A law guaranteeing free education from age three will be enacted.
In academic areas of higher education, where the supply of places exceeds the demand, the psychometric test should not be used as a precondition for admission.
No financial obstacles shall hamper a child's ability to complete fifteen years of schooling. Development of the academic college system will be promoted ensuring high quality college education.
Absorption and Immigration
Immigrants will be provided with proper employment and housing. Children of immigrants will be assured a quality education and the opportunity to integrate into Israeli society while maintaining their language and culture if they so desire. special emphasis must be placed on social absorption, on the eradication of discrimination and racism, and on the systematic protection of the immigrants' dignity.
Mortgage terms must be significantly improved, the cost of housing reduced, and rental assistance increased.
Efforts to further reduce unemployment must be fostered; Ministry of Absorption programs to further the employment of women and workers over age 45 must be implemented. Programs for academic professional immigrants must be advanced and expanded.
Activities promoting the absorption of Ethiopian immigrants must be implemented more vigorously, especially in the area of education. Affirmative action in higher education for students of Ethiopian origin must be broadened. Evacuation of the caravan sites must be completed. Cultural pluralism must be fostered in all aspects of immigrant absorption.
Retirees
A national pension law will be legislated ensuring a dignified livelihood in old age, or in the case of loss of income or work disability. A special government fund will ensure the pensions of new immigrants who were unable to accumulate enough seniority due to their age. Additional wage elements will be integrated into pension calculations, and legislation will ensure the means to prevent erosion of National Insurance Institute payments for retirees with low incomes.
Welfare
Housing: The mortgage criteria will be revised from time to time and housing costs will be lowered for first-time buyers. Government assistance for housing benefits will be non-discriminatory. Public housing for the elderly, single-parent families, immigrants and long-time residents will be renewed.
Health: Competition will be encouraged among the various health funds for different services, in compliance with the detailed declaration of obligations and rights. The health care package promised under the law will be broadened, primarily in the areas of dental care, home nursing, mental health and preventive medicine, and special tests and treatment for women.
A national Hospital Authority will be established.
Preventive medicine will be promoted in the community and in the workplace.
Appropriate encouragement will be given to drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation programs. Sentences for drug dealing will be more severe.
Transportation
Legislation of the national law for the prevention of traffic accidents will be completed.
A national authority for the prevention of traffic accidents will be established with jurisdiction and resources.
Road infrastructure, public transportation and a train system will be developed, and park and ride stations will be built in large cities.
A drivers education program will be implemented.
QUALITY OF LIFE IN ISRAEL
Culture and the Arts
Meretz will continue to promote adequate public assistance to cultural and artistic endeavours, to support institutions and informal cultural activities. The demand for cultural activities will grow throughout the state, and Meretz will continue to call for equality in allocations to the Arab sector.
Sport
Physical education classes in schools should be raised to three hours weekly at all grade levels. The Sport Authority will continue to allocate funds to sports associations according to practical criteria and with no discrimination. Sport in the Arab sector and sport for women will be ensured full funding. Criteria for funding to the Sport Betting Authority will be grounded in legislation.
Quality of the Environment
Meretz will act to ratify and implement a national development policy to protect open spaces, for land preservation and to enable prudent and effective use of these resources. The status of open spaces and agricultural lands will be reinforced.
The establishment of new settlements in the north and center of the country will be precluded, and existing communities will be strengthened ad developed.
Public transportation will be given high priority. A comprehensive system of public transportation, including intra- and inter-city trains, buses and mass transportation stations will be established.
Recycling in increasing quantities will be encouraged, and safe garbage incinerators will be established.
Industry will be forced to comply with progressive environmental protection legislation.
An integrated effort will be made to deal with cases of hazardous materials, and the use of pesticides will be reduced.
A comprehensive national proposal for water resources and sewage treatment will be completed and implemented.
Low-sulfur fuel will be used in power stations and the amount of sulfur will be reduced in vehicular fuels.
Coastal areas, dunes and the sea will be protected by a national management plan.
The right of every citizen to obtain information on ecological hazards of nuisances will be ensured.
Meretz will act to promote ecological considerations on every level of decision-making. Means of enforcement of environmental regulations will be reinforced and punishments for transgressions of the law will be more severe.
Animals
Meretz will act to increase the severity of punishment of persons who torture animals, whether the animals are owned by them, feral, or abandoned.
Killing of vagrant or unwanted animals shall be forbidden.
Experiments on animals will be regulated, and performed solely in the framework of authorized scientific research for vital medical purposes. Adequate attention will be given to the conditions in which the animals are kept, and efforts made to reduce their suffering.