Religious Zionism
Israeli-media coverage mentioning Religious Zionism, translated into English and compared across sources. 48 recent stories.
Netanyahu Pushes New Haredi Deal, Including Arrest Immunity for Draft Evaders
Netanyahu is trying to secure ultra-Orthodox support through a revised Basic Law on Torah study and temporary arrest immunity for draft evaders. The effort faces sharp legal oppos…
After ultimatum, Basic Law on Torah study enters accelerated committee debate
After an ultimatum from haredi party leaders, Netanyahu agreed to accelerate debate on a Basic Law on Torah study. The Knesset committee is set for four hearings next week, as the…
Committee chair makes surprise visit to East Jerusalem Palestinian school, alleges incitement
Knesset member and Education Committee chair Zvi Sukkot made a surprise visit Thursday to a Palestinian school in Jerusalem. He said police seized incitement materials there and h…
Ono College Promotes Supportive Campus Life, Broad Study Options and Open Day
Ono Academic College is promoting its Religious Zionism Administration as a supportive, values-based academic home for students. It says it offers flexible study tracks, modern ca…
Editors of Religious Zionism Urged to Back a Basic Law on Torah Study
An opinion piece says religious Zionist leaders should support a Basic Law recognizing Torah study as a national value. It links the bill to the history of hesder yeshivot, which…
MK Tour-Paz Rejects Calls to Shut Ali Pre-Military Academy
Yesh Atid MK Moshe Kinley Tour-Paz defended Naftali Bennett’s stance on illegal settlements and said the government must enforce the law. He rejected Yair Golan’s call to close th…
Polls Show Smotrich Gaining, While Bennett and Lapid Weaken
Two new polls show the right bloc strengthening and Bennett and Lapid weakening. Kantar for Kan News and News 13 both put Religious Zionism on five seats, while Likud and Gideon S…
Strategist Faces Criticism Over TV Commentary and Party Payments
Channel 13 reported that strategist Moshe Klughaft appeared on TV as a commentator while allegedly failing to disclose paid ties to political parties. Klughaft denied advising Isr…
Knesset legal adviser challenges reported Netanyahu deal with ultra-Orthodox parties
Knesset legal adviser Shagit Afek is opposing a reported Netanyahu deal with ultra-Orthodox parties over legislation linked to dissolving the Knesset. Shas and United Torah Judais…
Rabbi David Stav Warns on Army Draft Threats, Slams Proposed Kashrut Reforms
Rabbi David Stav criticized threats by hesder yeshiva rabbis over women’s integration in tank units, saying the army has not yet carried out the plan and dialogue is still possibl…
Shas MK: Conscription Bill Is Blocking Us, We Won't Be a Rubber Stamp
Shas MK Moshe Abutbul said his party wants to stay in the coalition but is frustrated that the promised conscription bill remains stalled. He defended Torah study, criticized army…
Smotrich Says He Took His Son to Get an Ear Piercing
Bezalel Smotrich said on the podcast "Shomer Saf" that he took his teenage son to get an ear piercing after the boy asked for one. The finance minister said he prefers love and tr…
Israel Advances Formalization of Giv'at HaRo'eh With 465 State Land Dunams
Israel declared 465 dunams near Giv'at HaRo'eh state land, advancing the settlement's formalization and expansion. The plan follows prior approvals for jurisdiction, official stat…
Meir Porush Accuses Netanyahu, Religious Zionists Over Haredi Draft Protests
Meir Porush said Israel is uniquely arresting Torah students and accused Netanyahu of delaying action on Haredi draft demands. He also denounced Religious Zionism, warned against…
Debate Over the IDF’s Identity Intensifies After Chief of Staff Meeting With Yeshiva Leaders
The article argues that a recent meeting between the IDF Chief of Staff and yeshiva leaders exposed a deep fight over the army’s identity. It says ideological and social prioritie…
Quiet Moves Reshape Settlement Policy in Hebron and the West Bank
A Hebrew article says quiet legal and administrative steps have transformed settlement policy in Hebron and across the West Bank. It highlights the Cave of the Patriarchs roof pro…
Chief of Staff Meets Religious Leaders Amid Tank Corps Draft Tensions
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir met Tuesday night with rabbis and yeshiva heads from religious Zionism after tensions over women in the Armored Corps and a halt in yeshiva recruitme…
Religious Zionist figures float new right-wing political vehicle, approach Edelstein and Shaked
Religious Zionist and other right-leaning figures are exploring a new political list and have approached Yuli Edelstein and Ayelet Shaked. The effort is meant to attract nationali…
Gantz Said to Be Exploring New Center-Right Political Alliance
Benny Gantz is reportedly nearing talks to form a new party and joint list with Dadi Shchimi, with Yoez Hendel expected to play a central role. Blue and White says Gantz is speaki…
Smotrich Says Jerusalem Conference Reflects the Strength of Religious Zionism
Bezalel Smotrich praised the annual “B’chol Levavkha” conference in Jerusalem as a source of spiritual renewal for the religious Zionist public. He said the event, now in its 14th…
Haredi boycott forces cancellation of coalition leaders’ meeting
The coalition leaders’ meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening was canceled after Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni refused to attend. The move reflects a deepening crisis over the draft l…
Ben Gvir Rejects Lebanon Ceasefire, Defends Terror-Death-Penalty Law in TikTok Q&A
Itamar Ben Gvir told Channel 7’s TikTok Q&A that he opposes any ceasefire in Lebanon and backs the death penalty law for terrorists. He also criticized police conduct against ultr…
Aliza Bloch Eyes National Politics, Focusing on Education and Arab-Israeli Integration
Former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch is considering a run in national politics. She is weighing party options while focusing on education, Haredi integration, and the Israeli per…
Bennett Rejects Right-Wing Critics, Reasserts Opposition to a Palestinian State
Naftali Bennett defended his right-wing credentials at a JNS conference in Jerusalem after criticism over his comments on settlements in Judea and Samaria. He said he opposes a Pa…
Bennett Sparks Backlash After Backing Palestinian Autonomy in Parts of the West Bank
Naftali Bennett said Areas A and B should be part of a Palestinian autonomy, while Area C would stay in Israel. His remarks triggered fierce criticism from Bezalel Smotrich and Is…
Netanyahu Weighs Early Knesset Dissolution Against Concessions to Ultra-Orthodox Parties
Netanyahu has called coalition leaders to decide whether to dissolve the Knesset early or strike a deal on Haredi-backed bills. The main disputes involve draft exemptions, housing…
Election Chief Says No Arrests Will Be Made on Voting Day
Central Elections Committee Director General Dean Livne said no arrests of draft evaders will be made on election day, aiming to reassure ultra-Orthodox voters. He also discussed…
Ben Gvir Warns Winter's Solo Run Could Help Bennett or Eisenkot
Itamar Ben Gvir said Ofer Winter should not run alone in Israel's next election and should instead join Bezalel Smotrich, warning that a separate bid could hand votes to Naftali B…
Yair Golan Says He Would Form a Government With Mansour Abbas
Yair Golan said he would build the next government with Ra'am and Mansour Abbas, calling Abbas a proven and workable coalition partner. He ruled out any party from the current coa…
Smotrich warns a left-led government would dismantle West Bank settlement and religious institutions
Bezalel Smotrich warned on Monday that a future left-led government under Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan would target West Bank settlements and religious institutions. He said it co…
Knesset Committee Takes Up Torah Study Basic Law Despite Legal Objections
The Knesset House Committee voted to move the Basic Law on Torah Study from the Constitution Committee, despite objections from the Knesset legal adviser. The bill, backed by ultr…
Election Panel Debates Overseas Voting for Service Volunteers and Polling Stations in Nursing Homes
The Knesset Constitution Committee debated election-law changes including ballot boxes in nursing homes and voting rights for national service volunteers abroad. Coalition members…
Knesset Hearing Erupts Over Draft Kosher Certification Law
A Knesset committee hearing on the draft kosher certification law degenerated into a sharp clash between MK Ohad Tal and Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli’s team. The f…
Smotrich Says Israel Will Stay in South Lebanon for Years Until Hezbollah Is Disarmed
Bezalel Smotrich said in a Channel 7 interview that Israel will stay in southern Lebanon for years unless Hezbollah is disarmed. He praised the IDF, rejected claims of U.S. pressu…
Government Moves to Fix Israel’s State Kosher Supervision System
Israel’s government is advancing an amendment to reform the state kosher supervision system and correct a failed earlier overhaul. The article says the new bill will standardize i…
Yair Golan Says an Israel Katz-Like Government Would Cut Funding to Alei Pre-Military Academy
Yair Golan said a government he serves in would stop funding the Alei pre-military academy and similar institutions. The exchange followed a Smotrich video imagining Golan as defe…
Government to fund restoration of 2,000-year-old Herod’s Pools
The government will invest about 3 million shekels in restoring Herod’s Pools in the Jordan Valley. After a Channel 14 investigation into years of water theft, the site was refill…
Coalition Leaders to Weigh Ultra-Orthodox Demands as Election Date Firms Up
Coalition leaders will meet Tuesday to decide whether to advance Knesset dissolution, with October 20 emerging as the likely election date. The dispute centers on ultra-Orthodox d…
Smotrich Slams Supreme Court Justices Over Judicial Appointments Fight
Bezalel Smotrich attacked Israel’s Supreme Court judges on Sunday during the hearing on petitions against the judicial appointments law. The dispute is part of a wider standoff wi…
Smotrich attacks Supreme Court over review of judicial selection law
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attacked Israel’s Supreme Court as it hears petitions against a Basic Law amendment on judge selection. He said the court has no authority to str…
Trump's Iran Deal Shakes Israel's Strategy and Netanyahu's Political Calculus
The article says Trump’s Iran deal is a strategic and political blow for Israel and a warning that even close American support can evaporate. It argues Israel should now press har…
Poll Shows Eisenkot Ties Likud as Bennett Slips Further
Writer says Jewish unity should outweigh right-wing politics in response to Kalman Libeskind
Ishay David responds to Kalman Libeskind by arguing that Jewish unity matters more than right-wing politics. He criticizes the current coalition and Religious Zionist leadership o…
Rebel MKs in coalition said to be in talks with Yoaz Hendel's new party
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that MKs Moshe Solomon and Dan Illouz are in talks to join Yoaz Hendel’s Reservists party. Illouz denied any negotiations, while Solomon refused to comme…
Netanyahu Faces Coalition Trap Over Possible Revote on State Comptroller
Netanyahu is caught between keeping the ultra-Orthodox inside his coalition and growing anger over their leverage. A possible repeat vote on the state comptroller could trigger ne…
Smotrich Says He Will Advance Thousands More Homes in Gevaot
Bezalel Smotrich said he plans to approve thousands more homes in Gevaot, after more than 800 units were already approved. At a ceremony in Gush Etzion, he said the goal is to tur…
Hostage Father-turned-Candidate Calls for Gaza Emigration, Rejects State Inquiry
Tzvika Mor, father of hostage Eitan Mor, said his son is recovering after captivity and may one day work in security. In an interview, Mor defended hardline positions on Gaza, rej…
Coalition Opposes Permanent Polling Stations in Nursing Homes
Israel’s coalition is fighting a bill that would permanently allow polling stations in nursing homes and other residential facilities. The measure passed the Central Elections Com…