Shlomo Filber Highlights Strength of Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism Party Despite Recent Poll Setback
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Shlomo Filber refutes claims that Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party is collapsing, highlighting a loyal voter base worth nearly 5.5 Knesset seats and strong support despite recent polls. He notes that new right-wing competitors mainly attract disaffected voters, not the party's core supporters.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Religious Zionism's core base equals nearly four Knesset seats, per Filber.
- About 65,000 first-time religious state school voters add 1.5 seats often missed by polls.
- The party has the second highest voter loyalty after Likud and ultra-Orthodox parties.
- Ofer Winter's new party mainly attracts voters who abandoned Smotrich over four years.
- Media and pollsters have underestimated the party's enduring support.
- Filber asserts Smotrich remains a strong figure in the right-wing political landscape.
Following a recent poll that showed the Religious Zionism party, led by Bezalel Smotrich, nearing the electoral threshold with only six seats, Shlomo Filber shared insights challenging the narrative of the party's decline. Filber pointed out that the party's core base, consisting of Haredi, religious, and settler voters, accounts for nearly four Knesset seats. Additionally, he noted about 65,000 first-time voters raised in religious state education, representing approximately one and a half seats, who are often overlooked by pollsters.
Filber emphasized the party's voter loyalty, ranking it as the second highest after Likud and the ultra-Orthodox parties. He argued that these voters remain steadfast, even as new right-wing factions like Ofer Winter's party attempt to attract support. According to Filber, Winter's appeal mainly draws from a small segment of voters who have distanced themselves from Smotrich over the past four years, rather than from the party's loyal base.
Despite media and pollster claims over the past two years that the Religious Zionism party was fading or disappearing, Filber insists the party's support remains solid and significant. His remarks suggest that Smotrich's political standing is more resilient than some recent analyses have indicated, maintaining a strong presence in the right-wing bloc ahead of upcoming elections.
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