Inside the Religious Zionism faction, criticism of MK Solomon continues

In an internal message to Religious Zionism faction members, MK Ohad Tal said MK Moshe Solomon’s move had harmed the party and called for internal disputes to be handled transparently. Tal was responding to Solomon’s opposition in a preliminary vote on the Basic Law on Torah study, and to the punishment he received from party chairman Bezalel Smotrich, who removed him from Knesset committees.

Tal said Solomon’s conduct had undermined faction discipline and was carried out without first approaching the faction chair or the party leadership. He said the faction had held a meeting early this week and jointly agreed that the vote on the bill would be handled according to the changes that had been approved.

He added that any internal disagreements should be resolved in an orderly way, through talks with the faction chair or party chair, coordinated voting, or exemption from voting. Tal stressed that the focus on the vote was not about the broader dispute over ultra-Orthodox conscription, but about a bill that came up according to the faction’s own understandings.

Tal urged faction members to conduct internal debates with mutual respect and transparency, while preserving unity and partnership. Other Religious Zionism MKs backed his message and emphasized the importance of faction discipline and responsible handling of disagreements so the faction can act in a coordinated and united way.