The American Counter Punch website explained in a report that the victory of the extremist religious party Shas in Israel with 17 parliamentary seats in the 1999 elections constituted a watershed moment in the history of religious parties.

The religious Zionist parties were unable to achieve major successes in the elections that would allow them to contribute to political decision-making in the country.

Over the years - the author continues - these religious parties struggled on several fronts, but they were unable to unite their ranks and failed to attract the mainstream of Israeli society.

In 2004, the United States banned the Kach Party, which can be considered the modern manifestation of Israel's first religious Zionist theorists.

Bloody massacre

The writer recalled the founder of Kach, Meir Kahane, who was killed in November 1990 while giving another hate-filled speech in Manhattan, and said that his killing was only the beginning of many acts of violence carried out by his followers, led by the American Baruch Goldstein, who opened fire. On February 25, 1994, on dozens of Palestinian Muslim worshipers in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

In the massacre alone, 29 worshipers were martyred, and 15 were injured.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers while protesting the massacre was nearly as many as those killed by Goldstein, which is tragic, but a perfect representation of the relationship between the regime and settlers working as part of the state's agenda.

The writer considered that this massacre was a watershed moment in the history of religious Zionism. Instead of serving as an opportunity to marginalize their growing influence by those described as supporters of the “liberal movement,” their power grew and their political influence increased within Israel.

He emphasized that Goldstein himself became a hero, and his grave was turned into a popular shrine. Note that Goldstein's grave was built opposite the Meir Kahane Memorial Park, which indicates the clear ideological ties between these individuals, groups, and financiers as well.

Towards power

The writer emphasized that the traditional role of religious people in Israel has witnessed a remarkable transformation, which can be seen in the election of Itamar Ben Gvir in 2021 as a member of the Israeli Knesset, then his appointment as Minister of National Security in the country in December 2022.

The writer explained that the religious Zionist movement benefited from the decline of the left and the weakness of the traditional right, represented by the Likud Party.

In order to survive, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu redefined his party into its most extreme version ever and, thus, began attracting religious Zionists in the hope of closing the gaps created by infighting within the Likud Party. In doing so, Netanyahu gave religious Zionists the opportunity of a lifetime.

Fundamental transformation

Thanks to Ben Gvir, Israel is now, in the words of opposition leader Yair Lapid, a state with a “private militia.”

Unlike Netanyahu, the thinking of Ben Gvir - and those with him - is not limited to reaching a specific position within the government. Rather, this movement seeks to bring about a fundamental and irreversible shift in Israeli politics.

One of the most prominent attempts to achieve this is the keenness to change the relationship between the judicial and executive authorities, as Netanyahu was keen on these changes to protect himself from legal accountability, while Ben Gvir’s supporters have a different reason, as they want to be able to control the government and the army, without accountability. Or censorship.

According to the writer, religious Zionists in Israel are playing a long game, which is not linked to specific elections, or to an individual or governmental coalition. They are redefining the concept of the State of Israel and its ideology, and they are succeeding.

Source: American press + Aljazeera