Gahal

   In 1965, Herut was joined by the former General Zionists in the Independent Liberal Party to form the parliamentary bloc Gahal (acronym for Gush Herut Liberalim—Bloc of Herut and the Liberals) under the leadership of Menachem Begin. The Gahal Agreement was signed on 25 April 1965. Among other elements, the agreement fixed the ratio of Herut and Liberal members of parliament and the placement of candidates from the two parties on the Ga-hal election (see KNESSET ELECTIONS) list. Each of the parties got 11 of the first 22 slots on the list, with Herut getting the 1st, the Liberals the 2nd, and so on. From that point to the 40th position, Herut got 11 seats and the Liberals got 7. From that point on, the agreement again provides for one each. This complex arrangement was disrupted by the joint electoral list involving Likud, Tsomet, and Gesher for the 1996 election. Gahal joined the Government of National Unity formed on the eve of the Six-Day War and was represented in the cabinet by Begin and Joseph Saphir. Likud (Unity) was formed in 1973 as a parliamentary bloc by the combination of Gahal and La'am (Toward the People), and Begin retained his dominant role. The activities of Herut have been integrated into the Likud Party.

   See also Political parties.