Likud , Coalition of Israeli right-wing political parties. It was created by the 1973 merger of the Herut Party (1948) and the Liberal Party (1961), which itself was a merger of the General Zionists and the Progressives. From the late 1970s Likud alternated in power with the Israel Labour Party. Likud generally was considered more skeptical than Labour of the peace process with the Palestinians and Israel’s Arab neighbours, but when in power some Likud prime ministers made dramatic concessions on both fronts. Party leaders have included Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, and Ariel Sharon. See also Arab-Israeli wars; Irgun Zvai Leumi; Vladimir Jabotinsky.
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