Smotrich and Feiglin join forces ahead of Israeli election

Religious Zionism chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin announced that their parties will run together in Israel’s next election.

Under the agreement, the parties will form a technical electoral bloc while retaining their separate identities, platforms and principles.

The two leaders described the alliance as an attempt to prevent votes for smaller right-wing parties from being wasted if they fail to cross the electoral threshold. They said it was intended to be the first step in a broader effort to unite parties, political figures and other groups in Israel’s national camp.

The agreement leaves open the possibility of additional right-wing parties and candidates joining the alliance. Its stated goal is to create the broadest possible bloc and translate right-wing votes into sufficient parliamentary strength to form a government.

“The next election will be critical for the future of the national camp and the State of Israel,” Smotrich said. “Security, settlement, the judicial system, preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, and our ability to continue leading the major changes Israel needs are all at stake.”

“At a moment like this, we must take responsibility, not only for our own party, but for the entire camp,” he added. “Our responsibility is to join forces, expand the camp and ensure that no right-wing vote is lost.”

Smotrich acknowledged the ideological differences between the two parties, saying neither side intended to obscure them.

“Each of us is preserving his identity and his path, but we both understand that the central mission now is victory for the national camp,” he said. “As far as I am concerned, this is the first partnership, but it will not be the last.”

He called on other parties and political forces that regard the right as their political home to join the initiative, arguing that complete agreement was not necessary for cooperation.

Feiglin said Zehut had been founded to offer Israel “a new spirit” grounded in hope, ideological conviction, individual liberty and what he described as genuine victory.

“For an entire year, we made clear that the magnitude of this moment demands national responsibility and a united front,” Feiglin said. “We promised our many supporters that we would not put a single vote at risk, that we would do everything possible to ensure their votes were not wasted, and that our values would receive full, strong and influential representation.”

Feiglin said the joint campaign would seek to maximize the electoral strength of Israel’s nationalist and faith-based constituencies. He urged supporters who prioritize the Land of Israel, national security and individual liberty to back the combined ticket.

“Now the responsibility passes to you, the public,” he said. “This is the time to mobilize, join, support and vote in large numbers for the joint list.”

The parties have yet to disclose the full structure of the combined slate, including the placement of candidates on its electoral list.