The Communist Party of Israel, commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Maki (), is a communist political party in Israel that forms part of the Hadash political alliance. It was founded in 1965 as the New Communist List, or Rakah (), by an anti-Zionist faction of the original Maki.
Rakah was formed on 1 September 1965 due to internal disagreements in the original Maki, which was split between a largely Jewish and Zionist faction led by Moshe Sneh that was critical of the Soviet Union's anti-Zionist stance, and a largely Arab faction that was increasingly anti-Zionist.
As a result, the pro-Arab / pro-Soviet faction (including Emile Habibi, Tawfik Toubi and Meir Vilner) left Maki to form a new party, Rakah, which the Soviet Union recognised as the "official" communist party in Israel. Shlomo Sand and Mahmoud Darwish were also Rakah activists.
The Eurocommunist faction, led by Sneh, remained in Maki. It was reported in the Soviet media that the MikunisâÂÂSneh group defected to the bourgeois-nationalist camp.
The 1965 Israeli legislative election saw Rakah party win three seats, comprehensively beating Maki as it slumped to just one. Rakah's opposition to Zionism and the Six-Day War meant that they were excluded from the national unity governments of the sixth Knesset. In the 1969 Israeli legislative election Rakah again won three seats. During the 1973 Israeli legislative election Rakah saw a rise in support as the party picked up four seats.
Before the 1977 elections the party joined with some other small left-wing and Arab parties, including some members of the Israeli Black Panthers to form Hadash. After the original Maki had disappeared after merging into Ratz in 1981, members of Rakah decided to change the party's name to Maki in 1989. The party remains the leading force in Hadash, and publishes the Al-Ittihad and Zo HaDerekh newspapers.
Maki is an anti-Zionist, MarxistâÂÂLeninist communist party. Organizationally, the party operates on the principle of democratic centralism, which it describes as a fusion of central policy execution and inner-party democracy.
The party defines itself as a revolutionary working-class movement aiming for a transition from capitalism to socialism. According to its constitution, Maki views late capitalism, globalization, and American imperialism as the root causes of global environmental destruction, social injustice, and the erosion of workers' rights.It envisions socialism not as a static system, but as a dynamically developing, humanistic society featuring working-class rule, social ownership of major production means, democratic economic planning, and political pluralism. While identifying as a Marxist-Leninist party, Maki officially acknowledges both the achievements and the historical failures of the 20th-century communist movement, stating that the party must learn from past mistakes without abandoning the pursuit of fundamental revolutionary change.
Maki states that it "swims against the current" of both Jewish and Arab nationalism. It officially rejects Zionism, arguing that Zionist ideology and practices generate racism and undermine democracy and equality. The party similarly rejects what it terms "Arab reaction," emphasizing an internationalist, class-based division of society over national divisions.
Maki strives to be a joint Jewish-Arab party. Acknowledging its historical role in shaping the political and cultural identity of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, the party's platform also highlights the strategic challenge of achieving a political breakthrough among the Jewish public. To build a broader coalition around these goals, Maki initiated the creation of the Hadash alliance in 1977, aiming to unite various left-wing and environmental groups around an agreed-upon minimum program of peace, social equality, and environmental justice.
Historically, the party states it was the first in Israel to propose a two-state solution. It advocates for a just, comprehensive, and stable Israeli-Palestinian peace centered on ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside the State of Israel with West Jerusalem as its capital. It also calls for a resolution to the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
Maki advocates for the transformation of Israel into a secular, multiethnic state. In an interview with the American socialist magazine Jacobin on 17 November 2023, Eli Gozansky, a Jewish member of the party leadership, opined on whether the creation of one binational state was possible:
Furthermore, the party is staunchly anti-militarist. It supports the right to conscientious objectionand calls for the regional disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, urging Israel to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Domestically, Maki's platform calls for the recognition of Arab citizens of Israel as a national minority and demands full civic and national equality, including an egalitarian citizenship law. It actively campaigns for workers' rights, the rights of foreign workers, and the protection of children and youth.
The party also emphasizes intersectional social struggles, advocating for full women's rights and an end to gender-based violence, as well as equality for Mizrahi communities. Maki supports the complete separation of religion and state, advocating for freedom of conscience, the abolition of religious coercion, and the right to freely choose between secular and religious lifestyles.
In accordance with the principle of democratic centralism, the party is collectively led by its Central Committee and Politburo. Within this structure, the highest operational position is the General Secretary (also referred to as the Secretary General). From its formation as Rakah in 1965 until 1990, the party was led by Meir Vilner. In 1990, Tawfik Toubi succeeded him, becoming the party's first Arab General Secretary. Since June 2015, the position has been held by the incumbent General Secretary, Adel Amer.