Despite being founded by David Ben-Gurion, one of the fathers of the Israeli left, the party is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Likud, Israel's largest right-wing bloc.

The National List had been formed by Ben-Gurion prior to the 1969 elections after his former party, Rafi, had merged into the Alignment against his wishes.

Before the 1973 elections it joined the Likud alliance formed by Herut, the Liberal Party (which had formerly been allied as Gahal), Free Centre and the Movement for Greater Israel.

The party was briefly reformed during the ninth Knesset after Hurvitz, Shoval and Yitzhak Peretz had left Likud to create Rafi – National List on 26 January 1981.

On 19 May Shoval and Hurvitz left to establish Telem with Moshe Dayan, whilst Peretz renamed the party Rafi, before rejoining Likud on 27 May.