Kibbutz Movement


The Kibbutz Movement is the largest settlement movement for kibbutzim in Israel. It was formed in 1999 by a partial merger of the United Kibbutz Movement and Kibbutz Artzi and is made up of approximately 230 kibbutzim. It does not include the Religious Kibbutz Movement with its 16 kibbutzim or the two Poalei Agudat Yisrael-affiliated religious kibbutzim.

United Kibbutz Movement

The United Kibbutz Movement, also known by its Hebrew acronym Hatkam, was founded in 1981 and was largely aligned with the Labor Party and its predecessors. It had been formed by a merger itself, when HaKibbutz HaMeuhad and Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim came together. Consequently, their respective youth movements merged into the Habonim Dror youth movement.
In 1999 a third movement, Artzi, joined the United Kibbutz Movement, although it maintains a certain autonomy, as does its Hashomer Hatzair youth movement.

History

HaKibbutz HaMeuhad

HaKibbutz HaMeuhad had been formed in 1927 by the union of several kibbutz bodies and was associated with the Poale Zion and later Ahdut HaAvoda parties and was aligned with the Habonim youth movement.

Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim

Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim had been formed in 1951 by the union of Hever HaKvutzot and Ihud HaKibbutzim. The movement included kibbutzim which had left HaKibbutz HaMeuhad for ideological reasons and was aligned with the Labour Party and its predecessors, Mapai and the Dror youth movement.

Kibbutz Artzi

Kibbutz Artzi was a kibbutz movement associated with the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement, and the Mapam political party. It was founded on 1 April 1927, and had 85 kibbutzim and 28,000 members in 1998.