Shaul Yahalom
Photo: Michael Kremmer
Former MK: New party can't represent Religious Zionism
Former leader of National Religious Party worried about implications of new religious party, while another NRP MK confident that party has returned to its roots
"A party that represents right-wing extremists cannot represent education. One cannot build a Jewish state while standing on the edge," said former National Religious Party (NRP) MK Yehuda Ben-Meir Monday, in response to the report of a new right-wing party comprised of NRP, National Union, Tkuma and Moledet.
"It has also lost its place as a democratic party," he added, expressing his frustration with the way in which the new party would be choosing its member lists via a small committee.
Ben-Meir was a Knesset member from 1971 to 1984, serving as foreign minister in the governments of Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir. "I think that what's happening is the end of a long process, during which the NRP lost its objective as a party that represents Religious Zionism and a party that wants to tie the nation together," he said.
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"What characterized Religious Zionism was the democratic aspect of its behavior. We didn't have a council of rabbis or sages. The lists were determined in a democratic manner. What we saw today is a phenomenon that I don't recognize and which has no place in political science," he said.
The Ben-Meir family has deep roots in the National Religious Party. The father, Shlomo-Israel Ben-Meir was among its founders and served in the Knesset until his death. Both of Yehuda Ben-Meir's grandfathers were leaders in the national religious community.
Ben-Meir asserted that "the State of Israel needs large parties, not small ones, and I think that Religious Zionism has representation. Effie Eitam represents them, at least, if he's in the Likud he will represent them. Kadima has some Knesset members also. Today the important thing is a stable government," he explained.
A return to the center
Some former NRP members, however, believe that the new right-wing union will return the party to its roots. "The novelty of today's decision is that the party will now wave the flag of a new national order, led by Jewish learning and identity – issues of education, integrity, Jewish morals, settlement and issues of national security," said former Knesset Member Shaul Yahalom."The Knesset list will be decided by a body of 30 individuals who represent the spectrum of Religious Zionism – it's true that there are people from the right, but also the center, with a focus on Jewish personality and education. In my opinion, it will return the party to the center, not the margins," he said.
The National Religious Party was created in 1956 by the merger of two parties - Mizrachi and Hapoel HaMizrachi. Prior to the Six Day war, it was considered a centrist party and became affiliated more with the right-wing after the foundation of the Gush Emunim settler movement and particularly after its 2006 alliance with the National Union.
In Yahalom's opinion, the new union will stop the phenomenon of recent years in which the party moved more to the right. "I believe that such a party would not reject outright negotiations that might involve territorial concessions," he stated.
"In recent years, the NRP was swept to the right and today it's saying… stop. First education and tradition. It's possible that there will be freedom to vote either way on issues related to political processes," he added.
Tal Rabinovsky contributed to this article
