Religious Zionism Faces Political and Cultural Divides Ahead of Israeli Elections

Professor Asher Cohen highlights two major challenges confronting the Religious Zionism party as it finalizes its Knesset list: the political fragmentation of the national-religious public and cultural divides within the sector. This week, the party's list was nearly finalized, including the notable addition of Tzvika Mor from the Tikva Forum. However, the party must navigate longstanding issues dating back to the early 1980s, such as the internal split over how the national-religious community should organize politically and cultural rifts within the sector.

In the 1981 elections, the National Religious Party (Mafdal) suffered a significant loss, dropping from 12 to 6 seats, signaling the start of internal disputes about political strategy. One faction insists on maintaining a distinct national-religious party, while another supports integration into broader parties or mixed religious-secular parties, exemplified by the 1981 formation of the Tkuma party. Today, national-religious voters are dispersed across the political spectrum, often favoring mixed parties, which poses a challenge for the Religious Zionism party to consolidate support.

Culturally, the national-religious community is divided between a Haredi-nationalist wing and a liberal wing, with a silent bourgeois mainstream in between. This cultural split influences political expectations, as voters want representatives who reflect their religious and cultural identities. Past elections have seen families split their votes between more sector-specific and mixed parties. The Religious Zionism party also contends with perceptions of being too aligned with the Haredi community, despite figures like Orit Strook, who is seen as a mainstream religious-nationalist and has received cross-party praise.

Another critical issue is the party's stance toward the Haredi community, especially regarding military conscription and mutual respect. Although party leader Bezalel Smotrich has notable achievements in settlement and as finance minister, tensions remain high due to Haredi attitudes toward the national-religious sector during the recent conflict. This tension was symbolized by the withdrawal of two MKs, reserve officers Ophir Sofer and Moshe Solomon, from the party list. The political landscape remains uncertain, with other national-religious figures and frameworks, such as Yuli Edelstein and Ofer Winter, poised to influence the upcoming elections. The final outcome and party dynamics are still unfolding.