Far-right politics in Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Far-right politics in Israel encompasses ideologies such as ultranationalism, Jewish supremacy, Jewish fascism, and Anti-Arabism.[1] In recent times, the term "far-right" is mainly used to describe advocates of policies such as the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, opposition to Palestinian statehood, and imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Kahanism is an example of a far-right ideology active in Israeli politics.
During 2022 and 2023 the Likud-led far right coalition was frequently described as "Fascist". Also during 2023 (but almost always separately), many people expressed concern that the policies and actions of the Israeli far right would lead to a "third intifada". Such as Haaretz journalist Amos Harel.[2] In his speech announcing "Al-Aqsa Flood" Mohammed Deif included a very long list of objections to recent actions by Israel, particularly around Al Aqsa.
Today, many individuals and groups on the far-right in Israel are advocating for the reoccupation of Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war.[3]
"Otzma Yehudit" is the only Israeli party classified as far-right and is led by Itamar Ben Gvir, an Israeli far-right politician and lawyer who has served as the Minister of National Security since 2022. Otzma Yehudit holds six seats in the Knesset. Lehava, one of the largest far-right organizations in Israel, advocates for the segregation and oppression of Palestinians. It has also been involved in acts of violence against Palestinians, LGBT individuals, and Christians. Both the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on Lehava.[4][5]