Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (UTJ) said Tuesday that he will oppose any policies that would endanger the Land of Israel or demand the surrender of any parts of the West Bank.
“The UTJ party has committed to continuing to oppose any retreat from the Land of Israel,” he said.
“We do not support, and are not interested in, giving up parts of the Land of Israel. We will continue with this stance, which is supported by our Council of Torah Sages.”
The statement from the Knesset’s Ashkenazi ḥaredi faction is a strong one, given that protecting the homeland had not been a major priority for that party in the past. The statement is reflective of a major shift in the ḥaredi world, especially among its youth. If it doesn’t want to lose its younger voters to kahanist parties like Otzma Yehudit, it must take strong positions in defense of Eretz Yisrael.
As the ḥaredi community grows and becomes a more integrated and dominant component of society, it is becoming more nationalist in its orientation. It no longer relates to the State of Israel as just another nation-state to engage with for the interests of its private sector. The community is subtly beginning to apply halakhic status to the state and is expressing a much stronger sense of national responsibility than in the past.
Litzman’s statement also indicates the extent to which this election has become about preventing the acceptance of United States President Donald Trump’s new Middle East plan.
Yamina party leader Ayelet Shaked accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) earlier this week of planning to form a coalition with Benny Gantz (Blue & White) and Amir Peretz (Labor) rather than with Yamina.
“If Yamina won’t be large we won’t be part of the government,” Shaked warned.
“There are leaks that he already began discussions with Labor and Amir Peretz, and Gantz will also want to crawl into the government… If [Yamina] isn’t large, the prime minister will form a coalition with Peretz and Gantz.”
During a closed meeting in Kiev a couple weeks ago, Netanyahu said that he does not rule out creating a unity government that would include parties other than the Likud’s natural partners.
Rabbi Yosef Gutnick, an Australian-based mining tycoon and leader in the Chabad movement who has been influential in Israeli politics and was once close to Netanyahu, endorsed voting for Yamina.
According to several reports, Trump plans to force Israel to accept a modified version of Washington’s traditional two-state policy.
Gutnick said that voting for Shaked’s Yamina party was the best way to stop this from taking place.
Gutnick’s analysis is sound. It’s likely that Netanyahu intends to carry out Trump’s plan and wants to avoid forming a coalition with factions that would push him to resist. Nationalist votes given to Likud over parties ideologically committed to protecting Eretz Yisrael could therefore very likely lead to Netanyahu’s adoption of Trump’s plan.
Those seeking to protect the Land of Israel and resist the Trump plan should be aware that the Likud party is the wrong place for their vote and should seek a party clearly committed to protecting the homeland.
How can Chabad rabbi endorse a party that advocates creating a Palestinian authority on steroids?