MAPAM

Hebrew abbreviation of Mifleget ha-Po'alim ha-Me'uhedet, English United Workers' Party left-wing labour party in Israel and in the World Zionist Organization, founded in 1948 by the ha-Shomer ha-Tza'ir (Young Guard) and the Ahdut 'Avoda-Po'ale Tziyyon (Labour Unity-Workers of Zion), which were both Marxist Zionist movements. Mapam maintains a Marxist ideology and is influential in the left-wing section of the kibbutz (collective settlement) movement, from which it draws much of its strength. Differing from the more influential Israel Labour Party principally in matters of foreign policy, Mapam has historically been the most pro-Soviet of the Zionist parties, as well as the leader in the movement for ArabJewish rapprochement. In reaction to Soviet anti-Semitism and disagreement on policy toward the Arabs, a large number of Mapam dissidents left the party in 1954 to reform the Ahdut 'Avoda along pro-Western lines. In 1969 Mapam formed an electoral alliance (ha-Ma'arakh) with the majority Israel Labour Party to contest the elections for the 6th Knesset (Parliament) and other national offices. The alliance continued to contest elections into the 1980s, although Mapam did not give up its autonomy or ideological program.