Gahal

Gahal (, an acronym for Gush Herut–Liberalim (Hebrew: ), lit. Freedom–Liberals Bloc) was the main right-leaning political alliance in Israel, from its founding in 1965 until the establishment of Likud in 1973. It was led by Menachem Begin.

==History== Gahal was formed by an alliance of Herut and the Liberal Party towards the end of the fifth Knesset in preparation for the 1965 elections. The alliance brought together the only two right-wing parties in the Knesset, each with 17 seats at the time. The Liberal Party had only been formed in 1961, by a merger of the General Zionists and the Progressive Party. The Gahal platform largely incorporated Herut's approach to security and foreign affairs and the Liberal Party's approach to economics and finance. Though Gahal was led by Begin, Herut and the Liberals initially had nearly equal strength in the alliance.