Supportimg conditions for the survival of extreme right-wing parties in Israel

The bitter failure of the extreme right-wing parties in the Israeli national elections of 1999 led many to believe in the decline of right-wing extremism in Israeli politics. This article argues that the extreme right has not only not declined but has, in fact, expanded. This premise arises from broader definitions of right-wing extremism, analysis of the Israeli extreme right and the implementation of a comparative perspective. Furthermore, the article seeks to explain the success and expansion of this political camp and thus offers a 'pyramid shaped' explanatory model. The factors introduced in the model start with the very basic foundations of the polity - the political culture, proceeding to the social level, with discussion on the foundations of social cleavages. Towards the top of the pyramid, we address narrower factors - structural and political - and at the summit are variables such as the party scene and finally party organization.