Religious Right: Israel’s right wing is steadily becoming the religious bloc

Israel’s right wing keeps losing prominent figures, yet its overall size remains roughly unchanged. The contradiction, the article argues, reflects a deeper transformation in who makes up the bloc.

The list of departures includes Ariel Sharon, who broke with Likud and founded Kadima, as well as Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert, who moved toward the political center. Former Likud “princes” Dan Meridor and Benny Begin became increasingly alienated from the party. Moshe Ya’alon later turned from Likud defense minister into a bitter opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Avigdor Liberman became a determined enemy of the haredi political project.

Gilad Erdan and others are now joining that list, with their constituencies moving alongside them. The political migration marks a shift from the older right, which the article describes as largely secular, nationalist and security-minded, to a right that is increasingly religious, messianic and hostile to classical liberal ideals such as the rule of law and citizens’ rights.

Demography is accelerating the change. Haredi Israelis have far more children on average than secular Israelis, while religious Zionists also tend to have larger families. Each election therefore brings another cohort into an electorate whose internal balance is changing. The article’s formulation is direct: with every religious child born, the right becomes more religious.

Shas and United Torah Judaism hold about 15 seats in most plausible scenarios. Parties linked to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir can add roughly a dozen or more. Likud itself contains a large and growing religious and traditional constituency, increasingly represented by figures such as Shlomo Karhi.

Voting patterns reinforce the divide. Haredi voters overwhelmingly support haredi parties, while national-religious voters strongly favor the right, particularly religious-nationalist parties and Likud. Secular Israelis lean heavily toward parties opposing Netanyahu. Religiosity, together with income and education, has become one of the strongest predictors of an Israeli Jew’s political allegiance. The right may remain stable in size, but its composition is changing radically.