[16] The party describes itself as "a national movement with the clear vision to follow in the bold path of Zev Jabotinsky",[17] the founder of Revisionist Zionism.

It has primarily represented immigrants from the former Soviet Union, although it has attempted to expand its appeal to the broader Jewish Israeli population.

[21] Yisrael Beiteinu maintains an anti-clerical mantle, supports drafting Haredi Jews into the military,[22] and encourages socio-economic opportunities for new immigrants, in conjunction with efforts to increase aliyah.

Yisrael Beiteinu has its origins in the Israel of the late 1990s, when former Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office, Avigdor Lieberman was greatly disappointed by his former boss Benjamin Netanyahu and his negotiation with the Palestinian Authority.

For the 1999 legislative election, Lieberman, Nudelman and Stern formed Yisrael Beiteinu, a party whose goal was to represent the right wing of the Russian-speaking community in Israel.

The joint list joined Ariel Sharon's new unity government formed after the 2001 Israeli prime ministerial election.

This move was delayed by Rehavam Ze'evi's assassination, but the joint list, now led by Lieberman, left the coalition in 2002 anyway.

The 2006 election was a great success for Yisrael Beiteinu, which increased its power to 11 seats; the party joined Ehud Olmert's governing coalition in October 2006.

[28] Yisrael Beiteinu's member of Knesset (MK) Esterina Tartman referred to Peretz's decision as a "lethal blow to Zionism", adding that Majadale's presence in the cabinet would damage "Israel's character as a Jewish state"[27] and that "We need to destroy this affliction from within ourselves.

[29] In January 2008 the party left the government in protest against talks with the Palestinian National Authority, saying certain issues negotiated were not to be tolerated.

"In view of the challenges we're facing, we need responsibility on a national level ... We're providing a true alternative, and an opportunity for the citizens to stabilize leadership and government", Lieberman said.

On 24 December, Yisrael Beiteinu was hit by a major corruption scandal, which greatly hurt the party's image in the public eye and its standing in the polls.

During the election period, polling showed that Yisrael Beiteinu was at risk of falling below the electoral threshold required to enter the Knesset for the first time in its history, however, despite these polls, the party managed to get 5 seats in the new Knesset, giving it the ability to decide whether Netanyahu formed a right-wing government.

[43] On 15 June 2019, ahead of the September 2019 elections, Lieberman announced that Yisrael Beiteinu would only support a national-unity government composed of Likud and the centrist Blue and White and devoid of Haredi parties.

[citation needed] In his campaign for the 2021 Israeli legislative election, Lieberman said he would be opposed to any coalition which included the Haredim, as well as any led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and would even be willing to go along with left-wing Meretz.

[58][59][60] Yisrael Beiteinu's platform begins with a description of its 10 main principles which it calls its "ten commandments":[61] One of the party's main policies is that of drawing the borders in such a way that areas with large Arab populations, such as the Triangle area and the Wadi Ara, both gained by Israel as part of the 1949 Armistice Agreements, would be transferred to Arab sovereignty.

Lieberman has presented this proposal as part of a potential peace deal aimed at establishing two separate national entities, one for Jews in Israel and the other for Arabs in Palestine.

[68] Yisrael Beiteinu's solution for Israel's housing crisis is cancelling the tax on the usage of pension funds of young couples who want to buy a home with the money.