Otzma Yehudit
Otzma Yehudit[a] is a religious Zionist party in Israel,[1] founded on November 13, 2012 by former Members of Knesset (Israel's parliament) Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari, with the former being a secular Jew[2] and the latter an Orthodox Jew.[3][4]
Overview
Many people, including followers of the party itself of being "far-right" and "anti-Arab".[5] Critics and certain Zionists say that the Otzma Yehudit is a successor to the Kach party banned in Israel,[4] one of whose famous followers was American-Israeli Baruch Goldstein, who committed the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs shooting, where 30 (including Goldstein) were killed and 125 wounded.[6] The current leader of the Otzma Yehudit is Itamar Ben-Gvir[b], who served as the Minister of National Security of Israel.[7]
Ideology
The Otzma Yehudit believes some of these ideas:[8]
- Israeli Jewish children shall be taught to love Israel
- Jews shall settle in every region of the Land of Israel
- Compromises shall not be made with the enemies of Israel
- Israeli Jewish children shall be educated on Jewish history, heritage and tradition
- The national defence policy shall be moved from the defensive to the offensive to crush the enemies of Israel
- Diaspora Jews shall be encouraged to immigrate to Israel (aliyah, Hebrew: עלייה) to keep the Jewish majority of Israel's population
Election results
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Aryeh Eldad | 64,782 | 1.76 | 0 / 120
|
2 | Extraparliamentary |
| 2015 | Michael Ben-Ari | Part of the Yachad | 0 / 120
|
– | Extraparliamentary | |
| April 2019 | Michael Ben-Ari | Part of the Union of Right-Wing Parties (URWP) | 0 / 120
|
– | Extraparliamentary | |
| September 2019 | Itamar Ben-Gvir | 83,609 | 1.88 | 0 / 120
|
– | Extraparliamentary |
| 2020 | Itamar Ben-Gvir | 19,402 | 0.42 | 0 / 120
|
– | Extraparliamentary |
| 2021 | Itamar Ben-Gvir | Part of the Religious Zionist Party (RZP) | 1 / 120
|
1 | Opposition | |
| 2022 | Itamar Ben-Gvir | Part of the Religious Zionist Party (RZP) | 6 / 120
|
5 | Coalition | |
Leaders
| Leader | Took office | Left office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aryeh Eldad | 2012 | 2013 | ||
| Michael Ben-Ari | 2013 | 2019 | ||
| Itamar Ben-Gvir | 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Controversies
Michael Ben-Ari once called left-wing NGOs "traitors that must be oppressed at any cost [...] internal bacteria [...] enemies of Israel".[4][9]
Itamar Ben-Gvir is accused of hanging a picture of Baruch Goldstein in his living room,[10] and disrespecting the victims of the Cave of the Patriarchs shooting.[10] Ben-Gvir rejected the accusations:[4]
| “ | It is no secret that today I am not Rabbi Kahane and I do not support the deportation of all Arabs. | ” |
In a consultation with Israel's President Isaac Herzog, Ben-Gvir rejected accusations of racism:[4]
| “ | I'm not a racist [...] I love my people and want things to be good for the Arabs [...] I don't make generalizations about all the Arabs. | ” |
On March 23, 2025, Ben-Gvir said in his capacity as Israel's national security minister that Hamas' food reserves and power supply should be bombed due to their failure to release all surviving hostages.[11] He added that there should be no negotiations with Islamist terrorists.[11]
Related pages
Footnotes
References
- ↑ Ganel, Yosi (October 10, 2023). "Israel: Political Developments and Data in 2022". European Journal of Political Research. doi:10.1111/2047-8852.12430. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Arye Eldad to head new secular Right party". The Jerusalem Post. November 20, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Supreme Court bans Otzma Yehudit candidate Ben-Ari from Israel's April elections". Jewish News Syndicate. March 18, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Israel Political Parties: Otzma Yehudit". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑
- Ben-Dor, Calev (2022). "The Rise of Itamar Ben Gvir". Fathom Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- "'I do not hate Arabs; I hate terrorists'". Israel Hayom. October 26, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ↑
- Leibovitz, Liel (March 22, 2019). "The Mystery of Baruch Goldstein". Tablet. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- "Two-state solution | Definition, Facts, History, & Map". Britannica. October 28, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- "Baruch Goldstein (1956-1994) | The National Library of Israel". The National Library of Israel. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑
- "Israel must show it is 'prepared to go berserk' on Iran, says security minister". The Telegraph. April 15, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- van Koningsveld, Akiva (November 26, 2024). "Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Truce with Lebanon". Jewish Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- "Ben-Gvir orders police to block Islamic calls to prayer over loudspeakers". Jewish News Syndicate. December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- "Ben-Gvir arrives at Netanyahu's trial in show of support". The Jerusalem Post. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑ "The Platform of Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength)". Otzma Yehudit. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ↑ Lis, Jonathan (January 26, 2011). "Rightist MK Expected to Head Probe Into Israel's Leftist NGOs". Haaretz. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
Panel of inquiry into human rights' group sources of funding gets Knesset support despite widespread opposition; National Union MK Michael Ben Ari: I will protect Israel from haters both at home and abroad.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Silver, Alexandria Fanjoy (November 5, 2024). "The Resurrection of Baruch Goldstein". The Times of Israel. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Ben-Gvir urges strikes on Hamas food reserves, power supply". Jewish News Syndicate (JNS). March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.