The moderate voice of religious zionism
You will recall back in December I made a prediction that the National Religious Party would merge with the National Union. In January I blogged that this prediction had proved false. Alas- I should have given myself my time as the NRP and National Union have now merged.
The merger is in a sense a natural continuation of the NRP's move to the right. Since '67 when it broke off from its historic relationship with the Labour party it has moved further to the right making the Likud look like a bunch of moderates. The tragedy of the situation is that the national religious community was meant to be the link with the Israel secular majority. Its main political party the NRP, with their extremist right wing views is anything but a link. Saying that significant sections of the national religious community haven't voted for the NRP for years and have increasingly voted for major parties. At the same time, it can not be denied that the overwhelming majority of national religious voters have views far further to the right then the secular majority. Indeed, the ideological power of the settlement movement derives from the national religious community.
In Ynet recently, Shai Binyamini, the head of realistic religious zionism wrote an interesting op-ed. Groups like realistic religious zionism, meimad and netivot shalom are what I consider the sane moderate voice of religious zionism. They acknowledge that the dignity of individuals takes precedence over the sanctity of land and are willing to accept the Israeli situaton for what it is rather then get caught up in a greater israel messianic perspective.
Binyamini in his article argues that Religious Zionism has gone bankrupt, most aptly demonstrated at Amona for all to see and on national television. He goes on to say that "the event at Amona brought out several important facts: First, that religious Zionism is no longer a single homogeneous group – the relative minority of law breakers at the outpost attests to this fact. Many teenagers filled up Amona, but many more never showed up. Religious Zionism is crumbling. There are many streams within it, with more dividing them than uniting them. Not Zionist, not religious The law breakers, the "Hebronites" or "Amona-ites" may consider themselves connected to religious Zionism, and may even be considered by the public at large as such. But they can no longer reasonably be called "Zionists", not even "religious." The second fact, that influences and is influenced by the first, is that today's religious Zionism has no leaders. There is no power leading it or determining the path it will take. The cement and mortar of Judean and Samarian hilltops have taken over the religious-Zionist vision and pushed aside the values that defined the movement in the past ... On one hand of the barricade are extremist rabbis, preaching their political beliefs to excited and excitable young people under the guise of "Torah," just like in ultra-Orthodox circles. The same rabbis and teachers who send their disciples – for reasons of convenience or to create a community of admirers – in front of the TV cameras, to take and give out a few punches."
"In order to understand that the youth did not initiate the struggle at Amona, it is enough to look at the religious-right wing media that incited and continues to incite its public with encouragement from rabbis and teachers ... On the other side of the same leadership is the so-called "moderate" National Religious Party and the remnants of Meimad, both of which are breathing their last breaths. The National Religious Party is dying because it has been moved rightward to satisfy a public it hasn't really had for years, while ignoring the deafening roar of religious Zionists that have already defected to Kadima. And Meimad? It's condition is comparable to the current state of Prime Minister Sharon".
The merger is in a sense a natural continuation of the NRP's move to the right. Since '67 when it broke off from its historic relationship with the Labour party it has moved further to the right making the Likud look like a bunch of moderates. The tragedy of the situation is that the national religious community was meant to be the link with the Israel secular majority. Its main political party the NRP, with their extremist right wing views is anything but a link. Saying that significant sections of the national religious community haven't voted for the NRP for years and have increasingly voted for major parties. At the same time, it can not be denied that the overwhelming majority of national religious voters have views far further to the right then the secular majority. Indeed, the ideological power of the settlement movement derives from the national religious community.
In Ynet recently, Shai Binyamini, the head of realistic religious zionism wrote an interesting op-ed. Groups like realistic religious zionism, meimad and netivot shalom are what I consider the sane moderate voice of religious zionism. They acknowledge that the dignity of individuals takes precedence over the sanctity of land and are willing to accept the Israeli situaton for what it is rather then get caught up in a greater israel messianic perspective.
Binyamini in his article argues that Religious Zionism has gone bankrupt, most aptly demonstrated at Amona for all to see and on national television. He goes on to say that "the event at Amona brought out several important facts: First, that religious Zionism is no longer a single homogeneous group – the relative minority of law breakers at the outpost attests to this fact. Many teenagers filled up Amona, but many more never showed up. Religious Zionism is crumbling. There are many streams within it, with more dividing them than uniting them. Not Zionist, not religious The law breakers, the "Hebronites" or "Amona-ites" may consider themselves connected to religious Zionism, and may even be considered by the public at large as such. But they can no longer reasonably be called "Zionists", not even "religious." The second fact, that influences and is influenced by the first, is that today's religious Zionism has no leaders. There is no power leading it or determining the path it will take. The cement and mortar of Judean and Samarian hilltops have taken over the religious-Zionist vision and pushed aside the values that defined the movement in the past ... On one hand of the barricade are extremist rabbis, preaching their political beliefs to excited and excitable young people under the guise of "Torah," just like in ultra-Orthodox circles. The same rabbis and teachers who send their disciples – for reasons of convenience or to create a community of admirers – in front of the TV cameras, to take and give out a few punches."
"In order to understand that the youth did not initiate the struggle at Amona, it is enough to look at the religious-right wing media that incited and continues to incite its public with encouragement from rabbis and teachers ... On the other side of the same leadership is the so-called "moderate" National Religious Party and the remnants of Meimad, both of which are breathing their last breaths. The National Religious Party is dying because it has been moved rightward to satisfy a public it hasn't really had for years, while ignoring the deafening roar of religious Zionists that have already defected to Kadima. And Meimad? It's condition is comparable to the current state of Prime Minister Sharon".
posted by SJ at 3:28 AM
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