Religious Zionist Party

The Religious Zionist Party (RZP) (Hebrew: הציונות הדתית, romanized: “Ṣiyonut Daṯiṯ”, “Ẓiyonut Daṯiṯ”, “Tzi'onut Datit” or “Zionut Ha-Datit”, lit. 'Religious Zionist') also known as T'kuma (Hebrew: תקומה, romanized: “Ṯuqūmâ”, “Ṯ'qûma” or “T'kūma”, lit. 'Revival')^[1] until 2021 is a far-right^[2], ultranationalist^[3], and Religious Zionist party^[4] in Israel and the OPT^[5]. In all the elections since its founding in 1998, the party had joined other factions and competed as part of a united list. In 2023, the Religious Zionist Party and Jewish Home agreed to merge to become Mafdal–Religious Zionism.^[6]

Tkuma was established by Hanan Porat and Zvi Hendel in 1998. The pair left the National Religious Party in reaction to the Wye River Memorandum, which was signed between Netanyahu, then Israeli PM and Arafat, then Palestinian Authority President. Almost immediately after the creation of Tkuma, it joined together with Moledet and Herut – The National Movement, to form the National Union, a right-wing coalition which won four seats in the 1999 elections, with only one of those seats going to Tkuma. These elections were a failure for the right-wing bloc, and were won by Barak, leaving the National Union and Tkuma in the opposition. In February 2000, Yisrael Beiteinu joined the National Union, alongside Tkuma, and the two parties joined Ariel Sharon's first government in 2001. One year later, Tkuma and the rest of the National Union left Sharon's government over disagreements over the handling of the Second Intifada. For the 2003 elections, the National Union kept its alliance with Yisrael Beiteinu, with its increased support helping to win seven seats for the entire list, and two for Tkuma. The party was included in Ariel Sharon's coalition, alongside Likud, Shinui, the NRP, and Yisrael BaAliyah.

Because of tensions over the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the Northern West Bank, National Union ministers such as Benjamin Elon and Avigdor Lieberman were sacked, and the party left the coalition. However, the National Union was bolstered by the addition of Ahi, which had split off from the National Religious Party when they decided to remain in the coalition.^[7]

Before the 2006 elections, the alliance between the National Union and Yisrael Beiteinu was dissolved, and a new alliance between the National Union and the National Religious Party was formed, which won nine seats, two of which were allocated to Tkuma and taken by Hendel and Uri Ariel.

On 3 November 2008, ahead of the 2009 elections, Tkuma faced a crisis. The party itself announced that it would unite with Ahi, the National Religious Party, and Moledet, to form a new right-wing party, which was later named Bait HaYehudi. However, around half of the former Tkuma members later left the new party to re-establish Tkuma and rejoin the National Union alongside Moledet, Hatikva, and Eretz Yisrael Shelanu.^[8] In the elections themselves, the National Union got four seats, with Tkuma getting two seats.

The RZP opposes land concessions to Syria and/or PA. Despite the fact that many members of the Religious Zionist Party support Israeli annexation of the West Bank and Gaza and block a Palestinian state, the official policy of HaBait HaYehudi Knesset faction, of which the party was aligned with between 2013 and 2019 only supports annexation of Area C, which makes up 63% of the Israeli-occupied West Bank per the Oslo Accords. The party advocates increased funding for Torah study institutes. Jewish-American columnist David E. Rosenberg has stated that the Religious Zionist Party's "platform includes things like annexation of West Bank settlements, the expulsion of asylum-seekers, and political control of the judicial system^[2]". He further described the Religious Zionist Party as a political party "driven by Jewish supremacy and anti-Arab racism"^[2]. The party has been assessed by The Middle East Journal as "militantly anti-Arab" and far-right.

• Gush Emunim, a far-right Israeli settler movement.
• Religious Zionism, an ideology that combines elements of ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Zionism.
• Orthodox Judaism, the most religious strand of Judaism.
• Kach and Kahane Chai, a far-right ultra-nationalist party in Israel.
• Allon Plan (1967).
• State of Palestine (declared 1988).
• State of Judea (declared 1988).
• Madrid Conference of 1991.
• Oslo Accords (1993, 1995).
• Palestinian National Authority (est. 1995).
• Three state solution, understood as the subsumption of the Palestinian territories to Egypt and Jordan.

1. ↑ "Amazon.com". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Oren, Neta; Waxman, Dov (2022-12-01). ""King Bibi" and Israeli Illiberalism: Assessing Democratic Backsliding in Israel during the Second Netanyahu Era (2009–2021)". The Middle East Journal. 76 (3): 303–326. doi:10.3751/76.3.11. ISSN 0026-3141.
3. ↑ Rosenberg, David E. (2025-10-02). "What Makes Israel's Far Right Different". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
4. ↑ Oren, Neta; Waxman, Dov (2022-12-01). ""King Bibi" and Israeli Illiberalism: Assessing Democratic Backsliding in Israel during the Second Netanyahu Era (2009–2021)". The Middle East Journal. 76 (3): 303–326. doi:10.3751/76.3.11. ISSN 0026-3141. ... a political backlash that helped a militantly anti-Arab, far-right Religious Zionist Party to become the third-largest faction ...
5. ↑ "'Post' poll shows mergers capable of bringing down Benjamin Netanyahu | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
6. ↑ Baruch, Hezki. "Religious Zionism and Jewish Home parties merge". Israel National News. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
7. ↑ "Sharon Fires Two Who Oppose Gaza Plan". The Washington Post. 2004-06-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
8. ↑ "Hatikva Party courts Tkuma as hard-line factions fracture | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2025-09-20.