Draft:Community Movement

Community movement (תנועת התיישבות) is a term used in Israel to describe national umbrella organizations for kibbutzim, moshavim, moshavim shitufiim, and community establishments. It is not related to the term Israeli settlement, which denotes communities outside the Green Line.

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel, typically based on agriculture, where property, resources, and often work are shared communally. Kibbutzim (plural form of kibbutz) originated as part of the Zionist movement in the early 20th century, aiming to establish a cooperative and self-sufficient way of life for Jewish immigrants in Israel. Members of a kibbutz work together in various agricultural or industrial endeavors, and often share meals, childcare, and other communal activities. Most kibbutzim are members of either the Kibbutz Movement or the Religious Kibbutz Movement.

Most moshavim and communities are divided between the Moshavim Movement, Mishkei Herut Beitar, the Agricultural Union and HaOved HaTzioni. Many religious moshavim are affiliated with Hapoel HaMizrachi or Poalei Agudat Yisrael movements. Moshavim established after 1967 in the West Bank, outside the Green Line, are typically affiliated with Amana.

In the past there were several other organizations; the Kibbutz Movement was formed by a merger of the United Kibbutz Movement and Kibbutz Artzi in 1999, the former also formed by a merger of HaKibbutz HaMeuhad and Ihud HaKvutzot veHaKibbutzim in 1981. Most of the former organiaations had political affiliations; HaKibbutz HaMeuhad was aligned with Ahdut HaAvoda and Ihud HaKvutzot veHaKibbutzim with Mapai and Labour.

To the extent that kibbutzim, moshavim, and moshavim shitufiim are agricultural cooperatives based on individual membership, the national community movements in Israel are viewed as secondary cooperatives or cooperative federations, whose members are lower-level primary cooperatives.