Israel election: Rise of 'extremist' Ben-Gvir sends shockwaves
Many in Israel and abroad remarked on the 'Kahanist' ideology of the Netanyahu ally
Along with the apparent return of Benjamin Netanyahu to the helm of Israeli politics, the outcome from Tuesday's general election that inspired the most impassioned commentary, in the Jewish state and internationally, was the meteoric rise of the far-right faction led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Though the votes are still being counted, the Religious Zionist faction appears to be set for unprecedented success, with 13 or 14 seats, up from six in the 2021 vote.
Policies advocated by its leaders include annexation of the West Bank, alterations to the role of the judicial system, and strict opposition to any territorial concessions with the Palestinians. Its leaders have also made comments that were seen as homophobic or threatening to left-wing Israelis and Arabs.
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for both Democrat and Republican administrations in Washington, said the prominence of a politician he described as openly racist could adversely impact the "special relationship" between Israel and the US.
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Many pointed out the links tying Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to the ideology of extremist rabbi Meir Kahane. The then fringe-rabbi's movement was outlawed in Israel in the 1980s, yet has retained a powerful grip over the hard-right.
Kahane, an extremist calling to establish a theocratic Jewish state and expanding its territory through conquest, was assassinated in 1990 in the US, where his movement was put on a terrorism blacklist.
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In local media, editorials by such popular outlets as Ynet and Walla — not just the highbrow and liberal Haaretz — opined that the success of Ben-Gvir's alliance with Netanyahu might spell the end of Israel as a liberal democracy and pave the way for the installation of a nationalist dictatorship along the lines of Hungary, Poland and Turkey.
Haggai Matar, a left-wing Israeli journalist and activist, said that freedom of speech and democratic institutions will be the likely targets of the new government's attacks, along with Palestinians and left-wing activists.