Religious Zionism Party Announces Primary Results with Orit Strook Leading

The Religious Zionism party revealed the results of its primaries on Sunday ahead of the October 27 Knesset elections. Orit Strook secured the top spot on the party list, followed by Simcha Rothman in second place and Tzvi Sukkot in third. The top five candidates were completed by Ohad Tal and Omer Rahamim. Michal Waldiger took the sixth spot, Rabbi Shmuel Sasson seventh, Tzvika Wishengrad eighth, Itam Tam ninth, and Natan Zaubman tenth.

Voting occurred at two locations: the party headquarters in Shohar and the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem. Last week, Kan News reported that the party considered reserving a spot for Dr. Avishi Ben Haim to diversify the list with a moderate Mizrahi or religious figure, aiming to appeal to religious-nationalist voters. However, Ben Haim stated this was not under consideration.

Additionally, a week earlier, Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer, affiliated with Religious Zionism, announced he would not run in the upcoming elections and would retire from politics. The party has recently seen a resurgence, surpassing the electoral threshold, with figures like Bezalel Smotrich playing a key role in its renewed prominence.