- Political dove
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In politics, the term dove refers to person who advocates peace and pacifism, in contrast with a hawk, who promotes war and belligerence.
Israel
Dovish is a term commonly used in Israeli politics to describe a person or political party who has moderate views on the topic of Israeli-Arab conflict, and willing to make drastic compromises to the Palestinians, and in particular supports the withdrawal from Israeli-occupied territories and establishment of independent Palestinian state in parts of the Land of Israel.
The opposite of dovish, a person who objects to compromises to the Palestinians, and supports the concept of Land of Israel only to Jews is called hawkish.
The terms hawkish and dovish are also used as adjectives.
As the Israeli-Arab conflict is regularly on top of the political agenda in Israel, and considered the main watershed of the political scene, most people decide on which party to vote in general election according to their position on the dovish-hawkish scale.
On the current political map of Israel, the parties on the dovish side are (from center to extreme) Shinui, Labour, Meretz-Yachad, Arab parties (Hadash, Balad, United Arab List). Parties on the hawkish side (from center to extreme) are Likud, the National Religious Party and the National Union. The newly established Kadima party of prime minister Ariel Sharon is considered at the center of the scale. The religious parties (Shas and United Torah Judaism) are leaning to the hawkish side, but this topic is not the prime consideration for them and their voters.
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