Far-right politics in Israel

Far-right politics in Israel encompasses ideologies such as ultranationalism, Jewish supremacy, Jewish fascism, Jewish fundamentalism, Anti-Arabism, anti-Palestinianism, and ideological movements such as Kahanism.

In recent times, the term "far-right" is mainly used to describe advocates of policies such as the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, opposition to Palestinian statehood, and imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and all of Jerusalem.

In 2024, many individuals and groups on the far-right in Israel are advocating for the reoccupation of Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war.

Revisionist Zionism
Prior to the establishment of Israel, far-right Jewish groups were based on Revisionist Zionism, which promoted the Jewish right to sovereignty over all of Mandatory Palestine through the use of armed struggle.

Revisionist Zionism's ideological and cultural roots were influenced by Italian fascism. Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the founder of Revisionist Zionism, believed that Britain could no longer be trusted to advance Zionism, and that Fascist Italy, as a growing political challenger to Britain, was therefore an ally.

Betar (founded 1925)


Ze'ev Jabotinsky was a secular Zionist and an extremist nationalist. He was exiled from the British Mandate for supporting armed struggle against the British.

In 1923, Jabotinsky established the Revisionist Zionist youth movement Betar at a meeting in Riga, Latvia. 2 years later in 1925, the Revisionist "Hatzohar" Party was established, as a movement that existed separate from the main Zionist movement, the World Zionist Organization. The term "revisionist" referred to a revision of the World Zionist Organization's policies at the time. The Irgun, a Revisionist Zionist paramilitary organization, established by Avraham Tehomi in 1931, opposed British rule over Palestine, and was engaged in acts of terrorism against British officers and Arabs, in an attempt to expel them from the land and achieve Jewish sovereignty. The Irgun joined forces with Betar and Hatzohar in 1937.

Revisionist Maximalism


Revisionist Maximalism was a short-lived right-wing militant political ideology that was a part of the Brit HaBirionim faction of the Zionist Revisionist Movement created by Abba Ahimeir. Abba Ahimier was born in Russia in 1897 and migrated to Palestine at the age of fifteen. In 1928 Ahimier joined Jabotinsky's Revisionist movement and became one of the movement's important activists.

In 1930, Brit HaBirionim under Ahimeir's leadership publicly declared their desire to form a fascist state. The Revisionist Maximalist movement borrowed principles from totalitarianism and fascism and it also drew inspiration from Józef Piłsudski's Poland and Benito Mussolini's Italy. Revisionist Maximalists strongly supported the Italian fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and wanted the creation of a Jewish state based on fascist principles.

The goal of the Maximalists was to "extract Revisionism from its liberal entrapment", because they wanted Ze'ev Jabotinsky's status to be elevated to the status of a dictator, and desired to forcably assimilate the population of Palestine into Hebrew society. The Maximalists believed that authoritarianism and national solidarity was necessary to have the public collaborate with the government, and to create total unity in Palestine.

The White Paper of 1939
The White Paper's publication also intensified the conflict between the Zionist militias and the British Army; a Jewish general strike was called, attacks were launched against Arabs and British police, telephone services and power lines were sabotaged, and violent speeches of protest were held for several months. A week after the publication of the White Paper of 1939, the Irgun planted an explosive device in the Rex cinema in Jerusalem, injuring 18 people, including 13 Arabs and 3 British police officers. On that same day, 25 Irgun members attacked the Arab village Biyar 'Adas, forced their way into 2 houses, and shot 5 Arab civilians to death.

Lehi (founded 1940)


The Lehi, also known as the Stern Gang, was a Revisionist Zionist militant group, founded by Avraham Stern in Mandatory Palestine in 1940. The group split from the Irgun, and sought a similar alliance with Fascist Italy. Lehi also believed that Nazi Germany was less of an enemy of the Jews than Britain was, and attempted to form an alliance with the Nazis, proposing a Jewish state based on "nationalist and totalitarian principles, and linked to the German Reich by an alliance". Avraham Stern, then commander of the Lehi, objected to the White Paper of 1939, British plans to restrict Jewish immigration and Jewish land purchase in Palestine, and proposed the creation of a binational Jewish-Arab Palestine. calling for an armed struggle against the British instead.

After the 1967 Six-Day War
In the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip. This victory resulted in the revival of "territorial maximalism", with aspirations to annex and settle these new territories. leading some Israeli political leaders to argue for the redefinition of the country's borders in accordance with the vision of Greater Israel. The Movement for Greater Israel, which emerged about a month after the Six-Day War ended, advocated for the control over all of the territories captured during the war, including the Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, and Golan Heights. The members of the movement demanded immediate imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the territories. The supporters of the movement were united by a territorial maximalist ideology. During the summer of 1967, far-right nationalists began to establish settlements in the occupied West Bank to establish a Jewish presence on the land. Menachem Begin's agreement to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, as well as his initiation of the Autonomy Plan, caused parts of the political right to radicalise and adopt far-right political ideologies.

Kach party (1971–1994)


The Kach party, founded by Meir Kahane in 1971, was a far-right Orthodox Jewish, Religious Zionist political party in Israel. The party's ideology, known as Kahanism, advocated the transfer of the Arab population from Israel, and the creation of a Jewish theocratic state, in which only Jews have voting rights. Kach additionally argued that Israel should annex the 1967 Israeli-occupied territories because of their religious significance. The party's motto, "Rak Kach" lit. 'Only thus', was derived from the motto of the Irgun, a Zionist militant organization active in the 1940s. In the 1973 Israeli legislative election, Kach won 0.81% of the total votes, falling short to pass the electoral threshold, which was 1% at the time. In the next elections in 1977, Kach failed once again to win enough votes for parliamentary presence. Kach earned a single seat in the Knesset in the 1984 Israeli legislative election.

Shortly after Meir Kahane was sworn in as a member of the Knesset, he made his first media-oriented provocation by announcing his plan to open an emigration office in the Arab village of Umm al-Fahm. He stated that his plan was to offer residents of the village financial incentives to leave their homes and the country. The town declared a general strike shortly after, and roughly 30,000 people, including liberal Jews, arrived at Umm-al-Fahm to prevent Kahane from entering the town. The Israel Police initially decided to accompany Kahane with 1000 police officers as he marched, but later decided to cancel Kahane's march altogether, in concern of negative consequences.

Kach activists frequently entered Arab localities in Israel, distributing propaganda leaflets in demonstrations, provocatively raising the Israeli flag, making Arabs sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence, threatening them against moving to majority-Jewish towns, and convincing Arabs to leave the country. Some of Meir Kahane's legislative initiatives were mostly related to the "Arab problem" in Israel, intending to separate Jews and Arabs in public swimming pools, banning romantic relations between Jews and Arabs, and revoking the citizenship of Arabs in Israel. In his book, "They Must Go", Kahane wrote: "There is only one path for us to take: the immediate transfer of Arabs from Eretz Yisrael. For Arabs and Jews in Eretz Yisrael there is only one answer: separation, Jews in their land, Arabs in theirs. Separation. Only separation."

One bill which he proposed required the imposition of a mandatory death penalty on any non-Jew who either harmed or attempted to harm a Jew, as well as the automatic deportation of the perpetrator's family and the perpetrator's neighbors from Israel and the West Bank. The Supreme of Israel struck down his initiatives, on the grounds that there was no precedent and provision for them in the Basic Laws of Israel. To limit the potential influence of anti-democratic parties such as Kach, the Knesset, in 1985, proposed a new amendment to exclude parties that negate the democratic character of Israel. Kach was later barred from the 1988 elections, and its appeal was denied by the Supreme Court. 1994, following Baruch Goldstein's massacre of 29 Palestinians at the Cave of the Patriarchs, Israel designated Kach, for which Goldstein previously stood as a Knesset Candidate, as a terror organization.

The Oslo Accords and the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin


The far-right in Israel opposed the Oslo Accords, with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin being assassinated in 1995 by a right-wing Israeli extremist for signing them. Yigal Amir, Rabin's assassin, had opposed Rabin's peace process, particularly the signing of the Oslo Accords, because he felt that an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank would deny Jews their "biblical heritage which they had reclaimed by establishing settlements". Rabin was also criticized by right-wing conservatives and Likud leaders who perceived the peace process as an attempt to forfeit the occupied territories and a surrender to Israel's enemies. After the murder, it was revealed that Avishai Raviv, a well-known right-wing extremist at the time, was a Shin Bet agent and informant. Prior to Rabin's murder, Raviv was filmed with a poster of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in an SS uniform. His mission was to monitor the activities of right-wing extremists, and he allegedly knew of Yigal Amir's plans to assassinate Rabin.

2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza


The Israeli disengagement from Gaza, headed by Ariel Sharon, included the removal of all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip as well as several West Bank settlements, and resulted in protests and riots from Jewish settlers. Posters covering the streets stated that "Ariel Sharon had no right to give up parts of the Land of Israel". The settlers managed to secure the support of Ovadia Yosef, then-leader of Shas party, who instructed Shas members of the Knesset to vote against the disengagement plan. Three settlers burned themselves alive in protest of the disengagement. By September 12, 2005, the eviction of all settlers from the Gaza Strip and demolition of their houses was completed, bringing Israel's 38 years of military rule over the Gaza Strip to a halt.

Otzma Yehudit (founded 2012)


Otzma Yehudit (Hebrew: עוצמה יהודית, English: "Jewish Power") was founded in 2012 by Michael Ben-Ari, a former member of Kach. In the 2021 Israeli legislative election, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a follower of Kach, was elected to the Knesset as a representative of the Otzma Yehudit party. Since 2022, Ben-Gvir has served as a Minister of National Security, and the party presently holds six seats in the Knesset. Lehava, one of the largest far-right organizations in Israel, advocates for the segregation and oppression of Palestinians. It has also been involved in acts of violence against Palestinians, LGBT individuals, and Christians. Both the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on Lehava.

Noam (founded 2019)
Noam (נעם; officially known as Lazuz) is a far-right Orthodox Jewish, Religious Zionist political party in Israel, officially established in July 2019 by a very conservative faction in the Religious Zionist community inspired by Rabbi Zvi Thau and his Har Hamor Yeshiva. The party's main goal is to advance policies against LGBT rights, and against what its backers call "the destruction of the family". Avi Maoz, the party's leader, was elected to the Knesset in 2021, and is the party's sole representative.

2022 Likud-led coalition
The 37th Cabinet of Israel, formed on December 29, 2022, following the Knesset election on November 1, 2022, has been described as the most right-wing government in Israeli history,   as well as Israel's most religious government. The coalition government consists of seven parties—Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit, Noam, and National Unity—and is led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Criticism
Several journalists and human rights groups such as B'Tselem, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch claim that the ideology advocated by the Israeli far-right are fascist and racist towards Palestinians, Arab citizens of Israel and immigrants. They see it as a danger to democracy, and claim that it uses violence and encourages violation of human rights. President of the United States Joe Biden said Benjamin Netanyahu's government contained "some of the most extreme" members he had ever seen.

In 2023, the Likud-led coalition was described in authoritarian terms by Haaretz, such as "Fascist", "a dictatorship", and "Stalinist" (for Stalinism's authoritarian aspects).

Far-right Israeli politicians and the Al Aqsa Mosque


The Al-Aqsa mosque compound (which Israelis refer to as the "Temple Mount") is one of the holiest sites in Islam and a Palestinian national symbol.

In 2023 and 2024, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a groups of up to a thousand ultra nationalist Israeli settlers to the Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem at least four times.

February 2023 Huwara rampage


On 26 February 2023, in retaliation for the shooting of two Israeli settlers earlier the same day by an unidentified attacker, hundreds of Israeli settlers went on a violent late-night rampage in Huwara and other Palestinian villages in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leaving one civilian dead and 100 other Palestinians injured, four critically, and the town ablaze. It was the worst attack stemming from Israeli settler violence in the northern West Bank in decades.

Israeli soldiers were in the area while the rampage by the settlers unfolded and did not intervene. The rampage was called a pogrom by an Israeli commander in charge of the area.

Israeli and Palestinian officials issued a joint declaration in Aqaba, Jordan to counter the recent round of Israeli–Palestinian violence.

Smotrich's call for Huwara to be "wiped out"
In the rampage's aftermath, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician partly in charge of the administration of the West Bank, called for Huwara to be "wiped out" by the Israeli army. Condemnations from the United States, European Union, and Arab countries led to Smotrich retracting his comments and claiming they were said in the heat of the moment.

Statements from far right ministers
Israel's far-right ministers have made controversial comments during the Israel–Hamas war.
 * Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (Likud) told Israeli Channel 12 in November 2023 that the war would be "Gaza's Nakba," using the Arabic word for "catastrophe" that many use to describe the 1948 displacement of roughly 700,000 Palestinians.
 * Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) said in an interview in November 2023 that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was "one of the possibilities".
 * Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (National Religious Party–Religious Zionism) said in a November 2023 letter that Palestinians should be excluded from "security zones" in the occupied West Bank even to "harvest olives". He has also called for the creation of "sterile security zones" around settlements in the West Bank to "prevent Arabs from entering".
 * Minister for the Advancement of Women May Golan (Likud) said in a speech in February 2024 "I am personally proud of the ruins of Gaza, and that every baby, even 80 years from now, will tell their grandchildren what the Jews did."

In May 2024, many individuals and groups on the far-right in Israel are advocating for the reoccupation of Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war.

General strategy and courses of action
The far-right in Israel have used a variety of ways over the years to achieve their political goals. These include far-right parties such as Kach, Otzma Yehudit, and Eretz Yisrael Shelanu being represented in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Establishment of unauthorized Israeli outposts in the West Bank is also common among far-right extremist groups, such as the Hilltop Youth. Jewish extremist terrorism was carried out by extremists within Judaism, including the assassination of Palestinian mayors by the Jewish Underground group, the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, the murder of the boy Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and the Duma arson attack. Further, "price tag attacks" have been committed in the occupied West Bank by extremist Israeli settler youths against Palestinian Arabs, and to a lesser extent against left-wing Israelis, Israeli Arabs, Christians, and Israeli security forces. Finally, political violence committed by far-right extremists, such as the murder of Emil Grunzweig, the attempted assassination of Zeev Sternhell, and the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.