All articles tagged with #religious zionism
Netanyahu’s reelection bid hinges on uniting his hard-line base, with Smotrich’s Religious Zionism and Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power reluctant to merge. Smaller allied parties risk failing to cross the electoral threshold, which could sap his support. Time is running out (Sept. 8 deadline) and he’s pushing for consolidation, even folding one party into Smotrich’s list, to avoid splintering votes that could hand victory to rivals.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing his far-right coalition partners to merge before Israel’s October election to avoid diluting the right-wing vote and imperiling his bloc’s chances of re-election, as Itamar Ben-Gvir resists a merger with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism. Analysts warn several right-wing parties are near the 3.25% electoral threshold, risking vote fragmentation, while a new rival party led by Ofer Winter could further complicate the right-wing tally.
Israeli Finance Minister and head of the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party, Bezalel Smotrich, declared that there is no such thing as the Palestinian people and that he and his family are the "real Palestinians" during a private memorial service in Paris. Smotrich has a history of making inflammatory statements against Palestinians, Arab citizens of Israel, non-Orthodox Jews, and the LGBTQ community. He also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, where coalition agreements gave him authority over some responsibilities of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).