Religious Zionist Party

Israel Election 2026: What does Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party stand for?

"If I put this ballot in the box, what government, policies, and political reality am I helping create?"

(L-R) Religious Zionist Party (RZP) MK Simcha Rothman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shake hands at the RZP primaries ahead of the 2026 Israeli  election, in Jerusalem, July 26, 2026
The minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir

Eight ministers, lawmakers wanted to leave Netanyahu's Likud for Otzma Yehudit, Ben-Gvir reveals

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks with 'Jerusalem Post' Editor in Chief Zvika Klein, August 12, 2026.

The secret Smotrich kept from his wife: Israel was going to war with Iran - interview

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich

WATCH: 'I know how to act responsibly': Smotrich outlines election strategy, plan to draft haredim


Israeli public wants elections, KAN poll shows

The poll also revealed that a near majority of the public supports a ground operation against Hezbollah in the North.

 A man casts his vote in the Israeli general elections, at a polling station in Jerusalem, on November 1, 2022.

Minister Strock: Gov't has no right to throw war in trash to save hostages

Minister Orit Strock claimed that the deal would lead to abandoning the goals of the war and leaving hostages behind.

 People walk by photographs of civilians held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, posted in Tel Aviv. December 21, 2023.

N13 poll: Next PM is toss up between Gantz or Bennett

A News 13 poll indicates National Unity Party led by Benny Gantz wins 30 seats if elections held today. Likud strengthens slightly; Yesh Atid receives 15 seats.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) meets with Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2024.

Smotrich shouted off stage at conference of right-wing newspaper

Audience members at Yisrael Hayom conference shout at Finance Minister about how can he "sleep at night" with 133 hostages still being held in Gaza.

 FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party.

Zvi Sukkot: 'After the war - we will promote settlement in the Gaza Strip'

When asked who would be in charge of Gaza after the war, Zvi Sukkot said, "I can tell you who would not be, not the PA, not Hamas, and not any other party that will commit terrorism."

 Zvi Sukkot attends a Religious Zionist Party meeting at the Knesset, Jerusalem ,January 23, 2023.

Shelving contentious law on local rabbis signals unity discourse is not all talk - analysis

The reason Likud MKs gave for opposing the bill: not wanting to raise issues now that would split the country.

 MK ARYE DERI leads a parliamentary faction meeting of his Shas party, in the Knesset, last month.

Some religious-Zionists see Gaza as a holy war

It’s a vision starkly at odds with Israel’s mainstream, even as the country’s political center has shifted discernibly to the Right in recent years.

 ISRAELIS MARCH near the southern town of Sderot, near the northern Gaza Strip as they take part in the Harel march in support of re-settling the Gaza Strip, on February 29.

Israeli MK: Fresh US sanctions 'delusional, disgraceful, and ugly'

Israeli politicians slam US sanctions on West Bank farms and individuals, decrying foreign intervention.

 MK Zvi Sukkot attends a Religious Zionist Party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem ,January 23, 2023

Pushing for Gaza resettlement harms core values, solidarity with Jewish people - opinion

For many, including those within the religious community themselves, the timing and backdrop for such an event could not have been more wrong.

 National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir seen at the Knesset on January 31, 2024

Who are the three National Religious lists in Jerusalem's elections?

For religious Jerusalemites who generally define themselves as National Religious, there are three representative lists running for city council in the elections set for the end of this month

 A man casts his vote in the Israeli general elections, at a polling station in Jerusalem, on November 1, 2022.