Zehut Party's Platform Proposes Jewish Supremacy, State Shrinkage

Moshe Feiglin's Zehut party is poised to enter the Knesset for the first time following an agreement with the Religious Zionism party. The party's platform, described as the most extensive among contenders, covers all aspects of life. Many of its economic and civil ideas, such as higher traffic violation fines for Arabs, are considered outside the mainstream public discourse but could enter the consensus with Zehut's potential entry into the Knesset or government.

Feiglin is known for his intention to build the Third Temple. The platform emphasizes this, citing ancient Jewish texts to suggest humanity longs for it and that its absence contributes to antisemitism. While not aiming to rebuild it in the next Knesset, the platform outlines a three-stage plan to facilitate its construction, framing it as a path to freedom and a "different spirit."

Zehut's platform advocates for a free market economy, termed "freedom," with minimal state involvement in economic and social services. This includes a drastic reduction of government ministries to 11, renaming the Ministry of Defense to the "Ministry of War." However, unlike classical libertarianism, Zehut also proposes strengthening the legal status of Judaism and Jewish people, leading to different legal standing for Arab citizens.

Economically, Zehut proposes a flat tax, eliminating progressive tax brackets, which would mean a minimum wage worker and a bank CEO would pay the same percentage of their income. The party also suggests ending state support for businesses and closing entities like the Innovation Authority and Export Institute, which address market failures in supporting early-stage, high-risk ventures.

In transportation, Zehut argues against government involvement, suggesting that well-filled buses would be profitable without subsidies and that autonomous vehicles will make current infrastructure obsolete. Feiglin cites Kansas City's extensive road network and lack of traffic as inspiration, advocating for road expansion over public transit investment, despite the significantly larger population density of Israel's Gush Dan metropolitan area.

The party also calls for extensive privatization in healthcare and welfare, suggesting the National Insurance Institute is inefficient due to government management. It proposes reducing certain benefits and requiring workers to purchase private work insurance. Hospitals would be privately owned, and the education system would adopt a voucher system, with core curriculum studies reduced to a minimum. The platform also suggests changing the state's name to 'Israel, The Jewish Nation's State' and requiring Arab citizens to declare loyalty to this concept. Differential licensing policies for traffic violations are proposed, with harsher penalties for populations involved in more accidents, citing a "deep and rooted cultural challenge in Islam."