IL flag Israel party

Religious Zionism Party

حزب الصهيونية الدينية הציונות הדתית

Religious-nationalist party on the far-right of the Israeli coalition; merges Zionist Orthodoxy with nationalist politics.

Standing
Coalition (major)
Review
Verified
Founded
2021
Current leader
Bezalel Smotrich
Founders
Bezalel Smotrich

Position — compass as of 2026-06-10

Economic
+3.5 market-leaning
Social
-8.0 authority-leaning
Quadrant
authoritarian market

First-pass hand-coded estimate; pending second-pass external review. See methodology for the rubric.

In Israel
-10 -10 -5 -5 5 5 10 10 Libertarian · Statist Libertarian · Market Authority · Statist Authority · Market 7 parties 4 parties 4 parties 4 parties religious-jewish centroid · 5 parties secular-liberal centroid · 3 parties nationalist-ethnic centroid · 4 parties leftist-socdem centroid · 3 parties leftist-communist centroid · 2 parties islamist-sunni-electoral centroid · 2 parties ← Statist Market → Libertarian ↑ ↓ Authority Social ↕ Economic ↔ Religious Zionism Party (IL) · in government · Economic +3.5, Social -8.0 IL Religious Zionism Party Shas (IL) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -8.5 IL Shas New Hope (IL) · in government · Economic +5.5, Social +2.0 IL New Hope Noam (IL) · in government · Economic +1.0, Social -9.0 IL Noam Yisrael Beiteinu (IL) · Economic +6.0, Social +4.0 IL Yisrael Beiteinu Ta'al (IL) · Economic -3.0, Social +4.0 IL Ta'al National Unity (IL) · Economic +3.0, Social +4.0 IL National Unity Meretz (IL) · Economic -3.0, Social +6.0 IL Meretz The Democrats (IL) · Economic -2.0, Social +8.0 IL The Democrats Balad (IL) · Economic -4.0, Social +5.0 IL Balad Israeli Labor Party (IL) · Economic -3.0, Social +5.8 IL Israeli Labor Party Hadash-Ta'al (IL) · Economic -6.0, Social +6.0 IL Hadash-Ta'al Likud (IL) · in government · Economic +6.0, Social -2.0 IL Likud Otzma Yehudit (IL) · in government · Economic +2.0, Social -8.0 IL Otzma Yehudit Northern Islamic Movement (IL) · outlawed · Economic -3.0, Social -7.0 IL Northern Islamic Movement United Torah Judaism (IL) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -9.0 IL United Torah Judaism Hadash (IL) · Economic -8.0, Social +6.5 IL Hadash Ra'am (United Arab List) (IL) · Economic -2.0, Social -6.0 IL Ra'am (United Arab List) Yesh Atid (IL) · Economic +4.0, Social +7.0 IL Yesh Atid
Among religious jewish parties · 5
-10 -10 -5 -5 5 5 10 10 Libertarian · Statist Libertarian · Market Authority · Statist Authority · Market 2 parties 3 parties religious-jewish centroid · 5 parties ← Statist Market → Libertarian ↑ ↓ Authority Social ↕ Economic ↔ Religious Zionism Party (IL) · in government · Economic +3.5, Social -8.0 Religious Zionism Party Shas (IL) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -8.5 Shas Noam (IL) · in government · Economic +1.0, Social -9.0 Noam Otzma Yehudit (IL) · in government · Economic +2.0, Social -8.0 Otzma Yehudit United Torah Judaism (IL) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -9.0 United Torah Judaism
In the region · 83
-10 -10 -5 -5 5 5 10 10 Libertarian · Statist Libertarian · Market Authority · Statist Authority · Market 23 parties 11 parties 19 parties 30 parties secular-liberal centroid · 12 parties religious-jewish centroid · 5 parties leftist-socdem centroid · 9 parties islamist-sunni-electoral centroid · 13 parties nationalist-arab centroid · 14 parties leftist-communist centroid · 12 parties nationalist-ethnic centroid · 5 parties islamist-shia centroid · 5 parties religious-christian centroid · 3 parties islamist-militant centroid · 3 parties islamist-salafi centroid · 2 parties ← Statist Market → Libertarian ↑ ↓ Authority Social ↕ Economic ↔ New Wafd Party (EG) · Economic +5.0, Social +3.0 New Wafd Party Religious Zionism Party (IL) · in government · Economic +3.5, Social -8.0 Religious Zionism Party Shas (IL) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -8.5 Shas Socialist Forces Front (DZ) · Economic -4.0, Social +4.0 Socialist Forces Front Socialist Union of Popular Forces (MA) · Economic -4.0, Social +4.0 Socialist Union of Popular Forces New Hope (IL) · in government · Economic +5.5, Social +2.0 New Hope Noam (IL) · in government · Economic +1.0, Social -9.0 Noam Ennahda (TN) · Economic +2.0, Social -5.0 Ennahda Southern Transitional Council (YE) · in government · Economic +3.5, Social -2.0 Southern Transitional Council Sudanese Communist Party (SD) · Economic -8.0, Social +6.0 Sudanese Communist Party Syrian National Coalition (SY) · Economic +5.0, Social +1.0 Syrian National Coalition Yisrael Beiteinu (IL) · Economic +6.0, Social +4.0 Yisrael Beiteinu Ta'al (IL) · Economic -3.0, Social +4.0 Ta'al National Unity (IL) · Economic +3.0, Social +4.0 National Unity Free Egyptians Party (EG) · Economic +8.0, Social +5.5 Free Egyptians Party Meretz (IL) · Economic -3.0, Social +6.0 Meretz The Democrats (IL) · Economic -2.0, Social +8.0 The Democrats Tunisian Workers Party (TN) · Economic -9.0, Social +5.0 Tunisian Workers Party Workers' Party (DZ) · Economic -9.0, Social +3.5 Workers' Party Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) (YE) · in government · Economic +2.5, Social -7.0 Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) Yemeni Socialist Party (YE) · Economic -6.0, Social +5.0 Yemeni Socialist Party People's Movement (TN) · Economic -6.0, Social +1.0 People's Movement Amal Movement (LB) · in government · Economic -3.5, Social -6.0 Amal Movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) (YE) · in government · Economic -6.0, Social -8.0 Ansar Allah (Houthis) Ba'ath Party (Syria) (SY) · dissolved · Economic -6.5, Social -0.5 Ba'ath Party (Syria) Balad (IL) · Economic -4.0, Social +5.0 Balad Democratic Unionist Party (SD) · Economic +2.5, Social -4.0 Democratic Unionist Party El Insaf (Equity Party) (MR) · in government · Economic +2.8, Social -6.0 El Insaf (Equity Party) Fatah (PS) · in government · Economic +1.5, Social -1.5 Fatah Free Patriotic Movement (LB) · in government · Economic +2.0, Social -2.0 Free Patriotic Movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (SY) · in government · Economic +2.5, Social -8.0 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamic Salvation Front (DZ) · outlawed · Economic -3.0, Social -9.0 Islamic Salvation Front Israeli Labor Party (IL) · Economic -3.0, Social +5.8 Israeli Labor Party Movement of Society for Peace (DZ) · Economic +0.0, Social -7.0 Movement of Society for Peace Justice and Construction Party (LY) · Economic +0.0, Social -6.5 Justice and Construction Party Authenticity and Modernity Party (MA) · in government · Economic +5.0, Social +4.0 Authenticity and Modernity Party Istiqlal Party (MA) · in government · Economic +2.0, Social -4.0 Istiqlal Party Kataeb Party (LB) · Economic +5.0, Social -1.5 Kataeb Party National Umma Party (SD) · Economic +2.0, Social -3.0 National Umma Party Hadash-Ta'al (IL) · Economic -6.0, Social +6.0 Hadash-Ta'al Justice and Development Party (MA) · Economic +3.0, Social -6.0 Justice and Development Party Hamas (PS) · in government · Economic -3.0, Social -8.0 Hamas Kurdistan Democratic Party (IQ) · in government · Economic +4.0, Social -3.0 Kurdistan Democratic Party Likud (IL) · in government · Economic +6.0, Social -2.0 Likud National Liberation Front (DZ) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -3.0 National Liberation Front National Rally for Reform and Development (Tewassoul) (MR) · Economic -1.0, Social -8.0 National Rally for Reform and Development (Tewassoul) Long Live Tunisia (TN) · Economic +6.0, Social +4.0 Long Live Tunisia National Rally of Independents (MA) · in government · Economic +8.0, Social +3.0 National Rally of Independents National Forces Alliance (LY) · Economic +6.0, Social +3.0 National Forces Alliance National Wisdom Movement (IQ) · in government · Economic +1.0, Social -4.0 National Wisdom Movement Reform Party (JO) · Economic +2.5, Social -2.0 Reform Party Otzma Yehudit (IL) · in government · Economic +2.0, Social -8.0 Otzma Yehudit Mubadara (PS) · Economic -0.5, Social +4.5 Mubadara Northern Islamic Movement (IL) · outlawed · Economic -3.0, Social -7.0 Northern Islamic Movement Freedom and Justice Party (EG) · dissolved · Economic +2.0, Social -7.5 Freedom and Justice Party Islamic Action Front (JO) · Economic -1.0, Social -8.0 Islamic Action Front Al-Menbar Islamic Society (BH) · Economic +3.0, Social -7.5 Al-Menbar Islamic Society Hezbollah (LB) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -8.0 Hezbollah Jordanian Communist Party (JO) · Economic -9.0, Social +5.5 Jordanian Communist Party Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society (BH) · dissolved · Economic -2.0, Social -6.0 Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society State of Law Coalition (IQ) · in government · Economic -3.5, Social -6.0 State of Law Coalition Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PS) · Economic -4.0, Social -9.0 Palestinian Islamic Jihad Nour Party (EG) · Economic +2.5, Social -9.0 Nour Party Islamic Asalah Society (BH) · in government · Economic +3.0, Social -9.0 Islamic Asalah Society United Torah Judaism (IL) · in government · Economic -5.0, Social -9.0 United Torah Judaism Lebanese Forces (LB) · Economic +5.0, Social -1.0 Lebanese Forces Mostaqbal Watan (EG) · in government · Economic +3.0, Social -4.0 Mostaqbal Watan Sairoon Alliance (IQ) · Economic -2.0, Social -6.0 Sairoon Alliance Democratic National Rally (DZ) · in government · Economic -2.0, Social -4.0 Democratic National Rally National Charter Party (JO) · in government · Economic +3.5, Social -3.0 National Charter Party General People's Congress (YE) · Economic -2.0, Social -4.0 General People's Congress Free Destourian Party (TN) · Economic +1.0, Social -1.0 Free Destourian Party PFLP (PS) · Economic -9.0, Social +4.0 PFLP Tagammu Party (EG) · Economic -7.0, Social +4.0 Tagammu Party Hadash (IL) · Economic -8.0, Social +6.5 Hadash Union of Forces of Progress (MR) · Economic -5.5, Social +4.0 Union of Forces of Progress DFLP (PS) · Economic -8.0, Social +4.5 DFLP Egyptian Social Democratic Party (EG) · Economic -2.5, Social +5.0 Egyptian Social Democratic Party Palestinian People's Party (PS) · Economic -8.0, Social +5.0 Palestinian People's Party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IQ) · in government · Economic +2.0, Social -2.0 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Progressive Socialist Party (LB) · in government · Economic -4.0, Social +4.0 Progressive Socialist Party Ra'am (United Arab List) (IL) · Economic -2.0, Social -6.0 Ra'am (United Arab List) Yesh Atid (IL) · Economic +4.0, Social +7.0 Yesh Atid

Across the dataset

Open full comparison →

Position — all axes

Economic → Market Social → Libertarian State & religion → Secular state Liberal democracy → Strong commitment West alignment → Pro-Western Regional stance → Stability/normalization Palestinian question → Pro-Palestinian rights Civil liberties → Expand Regime stance → pro-regime Centralism vs federalism → federalist Traditionalism vs modernization → modernizing Gender equality → Gender equality Iran posture → Pro-Iran / aligned Press freedom → Free press
Religious Zionism Party Israel mean
Economic
+3.5
Statist ← → Market
Social
-8.0
Authority ← → Libertarian
Religious state ← → Secular state
Weak/anti ← → Strong commitment
Anti-Western ← → Pro-Western
Resistance/maximalist ← → Stability/normalization
Opposed ← → Pro-Palestinian rights
Restrict ← → Expand
anti-regime ← → pro-regime
centralist ← → federalist
traditionalist ← → modernizing
Patriarchal traditionalism ← → Gender equality
Anti-Iran / adversarial ← → Pro-Iran / aligned
State-controlled press ← → Free press

Briefs about Religious Zionism Party

Comparative political-science briefs pairing this party with others. 1 brief on file.

Members & affiliated figures

Politicians currently identified with this party — leaders, ministers, MPs, and other active figures. All affiliated politicians →

Associated legislation

Bills this party introduced, championed, or whose passage / blocking it's publicly associated with. Status indicates the bill's parliamentary outcome. All Israel bills →

Recent events

Political events involving this party — formations, mergers, leadership changes, designation shifts. All events at /pulse →

  • Confirmed Other October 30, 2023

    Smotrich freezes tax-revenue transfers to the Palestinian Authority

    As finance minister, on 30 October 2023 — early in the Gaza war — Bezalel Smotrich froze the transfer of clearance (tax) revenues Israel collects on the PA's behalf, part of a sustained drive to choke the Authority's finances while expanding West Bank settlement activity. The squeeze deepened the PA's fiscal crisis and drew warnings from international donors and even parts of Israel's own security establishment.

  • Confirmed Other July 24, 2023

    Israeli judicial overhaul first reading passes

    The Knesset passed the first major bill of the Netanyahu government's judicial overhaul on 2023-07-24 — the "reasonableness" amendment limiting Supreme Court review of executive decisions. Triggered the largest protest movement in Israeli history and was struck down by the Court in January 2024.

  • Confirmed Other February 2023

    Smotrich handed sweeping civilian control over the West Bank

    In February 2023, beyond the finance ministry, Bezalel Smotrich was made a minister inside the Defense Ministry with authority over much of COGAT and the Civil Administration — the bodies governing civilian affairs in Area C of the occupied West Bank — and a new Settlements Administration was created under him. Critics described it as transferring settlement planning and Palestinian civil affairs to a settler ideologue, a de facto step toward annexation and a bifurcated legal order.

  • Confirmed Other December 7, 2022

    Strock becomes Israel's first Settlements and National Missions minister

    In December 2022 Orit Strock — a leader of the Hebron settler community and founder of a "Judea and Samaria" rights NGO — became the first holder of the new Settlements and National Missions Ministry, with influence over settlement development and ideological "national mission" programming. In office she criticized security officials for labelling settler attacks on Palestinians "terrorism" and pressed to resettle Gaza, embodying the government's pro-settlement, hardline turn.

  • Rumored Coalition collapsed date pending

    Religious Zionism repeatedly threatens coalition exit

    Bezalel Smotrich has repeatedly threatened to withdraw Religious Zionism from the Netanyahu coalition over Haredi conscription law, hostage deal terms, and other issues. The threats have not materialized; each round has produced a renegotiated commitment that kept the coalition intact.

Declared vs. behavioral

For the axes below, this party's declared position (what the party says in its platform / official rhetoric) diverges from its behavioral position (its record of votes, coalition choices, or public actions). The spread itself is the methodological point — capturing the gap that a single composite score collapses.

Lens spreads are currently hand-coded on a curated set of cases where the gap is well-documented. Document-grounded scoring against the party's own platform documents (declared) and its voting / coalition record (behavioral) will scale this across the dataset. See methodology for the full lens-system roadmap.

Source documents

Texts the scoring pipeline reads — manifestos, speeches, platforms. Each document's verbatim content backs the position score above; the model cites specific phrases from these texts when scoring. All documents →

Sources

Per-field citations for the verified claims above. Other fields (notably the compass scores) remain hand-coded priors and are marked unverified until they pass the methodology pipeline — see methodology.

  • founded_year en.wikipedia.org 2026-06-06 Founded 2021 by Bezalel Smotrich as the National Union's successor
  • current_leader_text en.wikipedia.org 2026-06-06 Founder and chairman; Finance Minister in the 37th government
  • government_role en.wikipedia.org 2026-06-06 Major coalition partner in the 37th government

How to cite

Each record carries a retrieval date because the dataset is live — individual entries update as verification deepens. Use the per-record citation when referencing this specific profile; use the dataset citation below when referencing the project as a whole.

In-text: (Gara, 2026)

APA 7Reference list · academic default
Gara, T. (2026). Religious Zionism Party [Party profile]. Tayyar: A MENA political-position dataset. Retrieved August 5, 2026, from https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/p/religious-zionism
Chicago author-dateCommon in political-science journals
Gara, Tarek. 2026. "Religious Zionism Party." Party profile, Tayyar: A MENA political-position dataset. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/p/religious-zionism.
BibTeXFor LaTeX / Zotero / reference managers
@misc{tayyar-religious-zionism,
  title     = {{Religious Zionism Party}},
  author    = {Gara, Tarek},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Tayyar: A MENA political-position dataset},
  type      = {Party profile},
  url       = {https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/p/religious-zionism},
  urldate   = {2026-08-05},
  note      = {First-pass entry; second-pass external review planned before publication.}
}

If you're citing Tayyar as a project rather than this individual record.

APA 7Preprint
Gara, T. (2026). Tayyar: A MENA political-position dataset [Preprint]. Retrieved August 5, 2026, from https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/paper
BibTeXPreprint
@unpublished{tayyar-preprint,
  title  = {{Tayyar: A MENA political-position dataset}},
  author = {Gara, Tarek},
  year   = {2026},
  type   = {Preprint},
  url    = {https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/paper},
  urldate = {2026-08-05},
  note   = {Living document, regenerated from the live dataset on page load.}
}

First-pass entry; second-pass external review planned before publication.