Otzma Yehudit Launches Campaign to Attract Religious Zionist Activists Ahead of Elections
Ahead of the upcoming national elections, Otzma Yehudit has initiated efforts to consolidate municipal activists and elected officials from joint local lists with the Religious Zionist Party into closer cooperation with Otzma Yehudit. The party's CEO, Itayel Neiman, is currently holding discussions with representatives in municipalities where both parties ran on a joint list. In the coming weeks, Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir is expected to meet personally with activists and public officials to strengthen this alliance.
The goal is to unite a significant portion of council members, deputy mayors, and grassroots activists who previously operated within joint lists with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party. Otzma Yehudit views these local representatives as key players in the preparations for the Knesset elections due to their direct connection with voters and fieldwork experience. The party aims to establish itself as the main political home for these activists.
One focal point of these efforts is Beersheba, where a joint list of Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionist Party operates. Sources familiar with the situation say some activists have distanced themselves from the Religious Zionist Party in recent years and are seeking a new political framework. Criticism has also emerged from activists regarding the Religious Zionist Party's ties to traditional, newly religious, and national-haredi communities, which some say has created a gap between local representatives serving diverse populations and smaller, more insular religious groups.
The departure of former minister Ofir Sofer from the Religious Zionist Party was cited by some activists as deepening this sense of alienation and prompting the search for a new political home. Otzma Yehudit has not publicly detailed the full scope of its campaign but stated it is actively preparing for the elections to secure a right-wing victory. The Religious Zionist Party has yet to respond to these developments.
