Article Says Religious Zionism Gains Depend on Haredi Partnership, Not a Split With It

The article argues that Israel’s Religious Zionist public, estimated at 10% to 12% of Jewish society, is politically powerful but internally divided. It says the movement spans a wide religious range, from hardline Orthodox to more modern and former observant Israelis, yet remains overwhelmingly right wing on core national issues, including settlement, judicial overhaul, traditional values, and military service. Since October 7, it says, support for combat duty and reserve service has become even stronger, alongside a demand for victory in the war and rejection of surrender while hostages remain in Hamas captivity.

According to the piece, the only party that has fully advanced these priorities is Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich. It credits the party with expanding settlements, regularizing hundreds of communities, pushing aggressive wartime policy through the cabinet, insisting on judicial reform, and helping manage Israel’s economy under wartime pressure. The author says many Religious Zionist voters are still turning away from the party because of a coordinated negative campaign, backed by left-wing groups and political interests, which exploits sensitivities around the Haredi community and military draft legislation.

The article portrays Haredi leaders as being under heavy internal pressure over the stalled draft law. It says leading rabbis, including Rabbi Landau, Rabbi Hirsch, and the Gerrer Rebbe, rejected even a softened version advanced by MK Boaz Bismuth, leaving draft legislation stuck for months. In response, it says Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni sought a symbolic Basic Law on Torah study as a substitute achievement to calm angry Haredi voters.

Citing a Thursday panel on the Haredi site Kikar HaShabbat on June 11, 2026, the article says Haredi commentators complained that their MKs were becoming the “donkey of the Messiah” for Smotrich’s national goals. It claims Smotrich won tens of billions of shekels for bypass roads, West Bank infrastructure, and new settlements, while also pulling the cabinet further right and using the Haredi bloc’s 18 seats for broader political aims. The article concludes that real Haredi enlistment can only come through an internal coalition deal with a balanced draft law, not opposition pressure or arrests, and that Religious Zionist support is essential to preserving Torah, peoplehood, and the land.