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National Religious Party

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National Religious Party
LeaderZevulun Orlev
Founded1956
by Rabbi Haim Moshe Shapira and Rabbi Yosef Burg
HeadquartersJerusalem, Israel
IdeologyReligious Zionism
International affiliationMizrachi
ColoursOrange
Website
www.mafdal.org.il

The National Religious Party (Hebrew: מפלגה דתית לאומית, Miflaga Datit Leumit, commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Mafdal, (Hebrew: מפד"ל)) is a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, it is the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Israel, and was part of every government coalition until 1992. Traditionally a practical centrist party, in recent years it has drifted to the right, becoming increasingly associated with Israeli settlers, and is currently part of a political alliance with the strongly right-wing National Union. The 2006 elections saw the party slump to just three seats, the worst electoral performance in its history.

Religious Zionism: Background

The Religious Zionist Movement is an Orthodox faction within the Zionist movement which combines a belief in the importance of establishing a Jewish state in the land of Israel following a religious way of life, in contrast to secular Zionism and Haredi Orthodox movements. The spiritual and ideological founder of the Religious Zionist Movement was Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who urged young religious Jews to settle in Israel and called upon the secular Labour Zionists to pay more attention to Judaism. Rabbi Kook saw Zionism as a part of a divine scheme which would result in a resettling of the Jewish people in its homeland, Israel, and, ultimately, the coming of the Messiah.

History

Origins

The National Religious Party (NRP) was created by the merger of two parties - Mizrahi and Hapoel HaMizrahi - in 1956. The two parties had run for the 1955 election on a joint list under the name of the National Religious Front. The founders of the party were Yosef Burg and Haim-Moshe Shapira (both from Hapoel HaMizrahi), who focused its activity mainly on the status of Judaism within the framework of Israeli society. Throughout the NRP's existence it has attempted to preserve the relevance of Judaism on issues such as Israeli personal status laws, education, culture, and municipal issues such as prohibitions on the selling of non-Kosher food (in prescribed areas, and occasionally throughout a given municipality), prohibiting transportation and public activities on the Shabbat.

The NRP has operated a trade union (under the same name as the old workers' party, Hapoel HaMizrahi), a newspaper (HaTzofe) and a youth-movement (Bnei Akiva). The newspaper and the youth movement still exist today, in sharp contrast to other party newspapers such as Davar or Al HaMishmar that lost their respective parties' backings and eventually shut down.

Post Six-Day War

The seeds of change were sown in 1967, when Israel's victory in the Six-Day War spawned messianic trends among religious Israeli Jews that resulted in many members of the NRP moving further right. Today the NRP is a right-wing party.

Around 1969, a new generation arose in the NRP, led by Zevulun Hammer and Yehuda Ben-Meir, called "the youth" (הצעירים) demanding that the party pay more attention to socio-economic issues in addition to its concerns about Judaism and the modern state. They led the NRP into the right-wing of Israeli politics. Perhaps ironically, Yosef Burg outlived Zevulun Hammer, who died in 1997.

From its inception the NRP maintained an almost constant number of 12 members of the Israeli Knesset. In 1981 it shrank to 6 members. The reasons are diverse: An overall reduction in its natural voting population; the political moderation of many Orthodox Jews; its turn towards the right-wing; the growing importance of the right-left schism in Israeli politics; and the rise of Orthodox Sephardic parties such as Tami and later Shas.

The party was unique in that it participated in all the governments of Israel until 1992. During this period it was a centrist party, interested mainly in religious matters and impervious to the left-right divisions of the Israeli public. The longtime cooperation between the Israeli Labour Party and the NRP is sometimes referred to as the historic league (הברית ההיסטורית).

2003 government

The NRP was a member on the 2003 government led by prime minister Ariel Sharon and had two ministers in the cabinet. Effi Eitam was the Minister of Housing and Zevulun Orlev was the Minister of Labor and Welfare. Yitzhak Levi was a deputy minister responsible for the Ministry of Religious Affairs until it was dismantled.

The party helped form the previous government's coalition together with the Likud, Shinui and the National Union, which was based on the following principles:

  • A hard line policy against Palestinian terrorism and increasing use of the military for counter terror operations.
  • Supporting the Road Map for Peace, but with the reservation that the Palestinians should stop terrorism and elect a democratic prime-minister.
  • Supporting the Israeli West Bank barrier, on condition that it will include the major settlement blocks in the West Bank.
  • Finding a solution for those people who cannot marry according to Jewish law by creating something similar to a civil marriage.
  • Drafting the Haredim for military service.
  • Retaining the Jewish character of the state of Israel.
  • Obligating the Shinui party not to act unilaterally in matters of state and religion, and that they would discuss the issues with the NRP and reach a compromise.

The party subsequently left the government and went into opposition.

The disengagement plan

Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004 from the Gaza Strip, caused great controversy within the party. Sharon dismissed two cabinet ministers from the National Union in order to achieve a majority for approving the plan in his government. The NRP declared that it was resisting the plan and any removal of Jews living in Gush Katif (in the Gaza Strip). The party, together with the Likud right-wing failed to stop the disengagement plan.

Eventually, Effi Eitam and Yitzhak Levi resigned from the government. However, the four other Knesset Members of the NRP supported Orlev's stand that the party should remain in the coalition and thwart the disengagement plan from inside.

The party's Knesset faction split into two:

  1. The Opposition (Eitam and Rabbi Levi) - who had resisted Sharon's plan and see themselves uncommitted to the coalition and government.
  2. The Coalition (Orlev, Yahalom, Finkelstein) - had voted to stay in the coalition, but vowed to quit when a Jewish settlement dismantled.
  • Nisan Slomianski has not taken a clear position, compromising between the two factions.

On 13 September 2004, the party's "center" (a forum of all party members with voting rights) voted on a choice between Effi Eitam's proposal of immediately resigning from the government and Zevulon Orlev's proposal to leave the government only when it approves an actual removal of settlements. Eitam and Orlev agreed that the "center" decision would be binding.[1] The "center" supported Orlev's proposal by 65%-35%. Orlev's proposal stated that the party would stay in the government on condition that the government would not hold a general referendum (משאל עם, Meshal Am) regarding removal of the Israeli settlements, which would require a special majority, before the issue could be brought to a decision in the Knesset. If such a referendum would not be held, or if the government would approve a de-facto removal of Israeli settlements, the party would resign from the government.[2]

It was decided that the NRP would resign from the government if:

  • The government approved the dismantling of Israeli settlements.
  • The Knesset passed laws of evacuation and compensation.
  • The Labor Party joined the government and the coalition.
  • A general referendum on the disengagement would not be held.

On November 9, 2004, after Ariel Sharon declined the NRP's demand to hold a national referendum regarding the disengagement, Zevulun Orlev and the party resigned from the coalition and the government, vowing to pursue general elections in an effort to replace Sharon with a right-wing prime minister. After their resignation, Sharon had a minority coalition of 56 Knesset members out of 120.

The split

On February 14, 2005, Eitam was suspended from the party chairmanship by the NRP's internal court, after he left the government against the center decision. Angered at the suspension, Eitam and Itzhak Levi announced that they had officially split from the NRP to form a new party, the Renewed Religious National Zionist Party, on February 23. The new party became part of the National Union, an alliance of Moledet and Tkuma - itself a former right-wing faction of the NRP. At the time the National Union also included the Russian-secular Israel Beitenu party, though they chose to run alone in the 2006 elections.

Alliance with the National Union

File:Mafdal2006.jpg
National Union-NRP 2006 election logo

Due to their weakening, the NRP eventually decided to run on a joint list with the National National Union for the 2006 election, which included Eitam and Levy on its list. The joint list went under the title of National Union - NRP (Hebrew: האיחוד הלאומי-מפדל, HaIkhud HaLeumi - Mafdal) and won nine seats, of which the NRP were awarded three.

Ideology

Main principles

The NRP is a Zionist party and states that Israel is a "Jewish democratic state". The party's main goal is to contribute as much as it can to the state of Israel and influence its character to be more Jewish, as well as fighting for the protection of Israel and maintaining Israel's security.

The core belief "the Land of Israel for the People of Israel according to the Torah of Israel" commits the N.R.P. to doing everything possible to further the security and integrity of the Land of Israel. The NRP aspires to influence policy from within the government, and thus continue to safeguard Eretz Israel.

Unlike the Haredi parties (Shas and United Torah Judaism) the NRP does not promote the notion of Medinat Halacha (Halakhic state), a theocracy run according to Jewish law. The party wants to retain Israel's democratic character while improving the Israeli people. It aspires to encourage Jews to become better by acting as role-models and teaching Judaism to other Israelis by example. The NRP wants the Haredi Jews to complete three years of mandatory military service.

The NRP emphasises national unity and vows to work as a bridge between the different parts of Israeli society.

Religious and secular, Sephardim and Askenazim, right and left, old-timers and new immigrants – we are all one people. The NRP works toward national unity, absorption of immigration, and bringing people together from all sectors of the population. Without hatred and without coercion. Gently, pleasantly, and with a smile.

They call this principle Ahavat Israel אהבת ישראל ("Love of Israel").

The party is the patron of most of the national religious schools (חינוך ממלכתי-דתי), which teach both Judaism and general mandatory educational subjects such as mathematics, English, literature, physics, biology etc. It sponsors some pre-military schools that provide higher education to future IDF officers and commanders. Besides funding and patronising national religious schools, it also supports Yeshiva schools and Beit Midrash schools, places dedicated solely to Torah study. They also run Yeshivot Hesder, where religious soldiers combine combat military service with learning Torah.

The NRP actively promotes Torah in Israel and strengthens national religious institutions: Zionist rabbinical training institutes, Zionist Kollels, Yeshivot gevohot, Hesder Yeshivot, Yeshiva high schools, and more. The NRP encourages Zionist rabbis to take on active roles as teachers in Yeshivot, and as spiritual leaders in cities and in neighborhoods.

The party believes that the land of Israel is holy and belongs to the Jews on the basis of God's promise to Abraham and later to Isaac and Jacob. They believe it is God's will to settle all the land of Israel and nurture it. This principle has great impact on NRP policy toward the West Bank and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[3]

Religion and state

The NRP's policy believes that Israel should retain its special Jewish character and enhance its commitment to Judaism.

The party argues that affairs of personal status (such as marriage, divorces and burial) should be kept under the authority of Israel's rabbis (or other religious clerics for non-Jews).

The NRP claims that the Jewish state must show respect for the Jewish religion by observing the Sabbath and serving Kosher food in its institutions and organizations (as it applies to the IDF, public transportation, the Israeli police and governmental companies.)

The party, along with the other Orthodox political parties in Israel would like to see reforms to Israeli law so that converts to Judaism who wish to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return can only be accepted if their conversions were conducted according to strict Orthodox standards. This is a controversial position as some secular parties claim that it would undermine Israel's connections with worldwide, and especially American Jews. See Who is a Jew? as it applies to Israel.

Regarding conversions to Judaism performed within Israel, the NRP has found itself on the same side of the debate as the secular parties, and opposed to the views of the Haredi parties and particularly Shas. The party advocates that the Israeli Chief Rabbinate must act to ease the procedures for non-Jews who want to convert, following the Neeman Committee (ועדת נאמן) recommendations. It also calls for the restoration of the nationality (לאום "Leom") clause on the Israeli identification card. Both issues are connected to recent public debates about Russian immigrants who are suspected of not being Jews according to Jewish law.

The issue of conscripting yeshiva students is a particularly sensitive issue in the party's rhetoric. Historically the NRP initiated the regulations allowing yeshiva students to avoid military service and supported that position over a long time. This came into conflict with the party's ideology and its supporters as the party moved to the right, and as the number of such students rose sharply leading to allegations that many were not really students. Today the NRP explicitly states that participation in the Israeli army is a Mitzvah and a moral obligation, and stresses that its "finest youth... serve in the elite commando and combat units in the IDF". However, it does not reject any of the current arrangements, nor does it suggest limiting the number of non-serving students in any way.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the settlements

The NRP's views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be summarized as:

  • There will only be one state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – the State of Israel. No independent national Arab entity (such as a putative Palestinian state) will exist within these borders
  • No part of Israel will be given over to a foreign government or authority.

However, the party does agree to giving the Palestinian Arabs self-governing autonomy, subject to Israel's authority only in matters of security and foreign affairs (such as in borders and diplomacy), without the dismantling of the Jewish settlements.

The NRP reacted to the Second Intifada by demanding a harsh military response by Israel to "root out the terror infrastructure". It also called for disbanding the Palestinian Authority and the deportation of the PLO back to Tunisia. The party believes that Israel can stop Palestinian violence through the use of military force.

The NRP uses mostly religious discourse to justify these positions. They stress that Judea and Samaria were parts of the ancient kingdom of Israel and kingdom of Judah and hence rightfully belong to modern Israel. Furthermore, the party views the Jewish settlements as an upholding of the mitzvah of settling the land of Israel. Many of its supporters and parliament members are settlers.

Social issues and welfare

The NRP does not adhere to an economic ideology (such as Marxism or Capitalism). However, the party believes that Israeli society and the state of Israel should support the poor and the needy, derived from the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. The party's most notable figure in this respect in Zevulun Orlev, (who served as Minister of Labor and Social Welfare). However, this issue is not high on the party's agenda or rhetoric.

Criticism

Some critics of the NRP say that it is too focused on the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and that they neglect other issues such as education, social responsibility and Ahavat Israel ("Love of Israel" i.e. of other Jews).

Left-wing critics insist that the party's stubbornness about keeping the settlements is an "obstacle to peace" while right-wing critics say the NRP does not pressure the Israeli government enough to use more military force against Palestinian terrorism.

Criticism from religious parties such as Shas and Agudat Israel scorn the NRP for having been in the governing coalition with an ultra-secular party like Shinui (which is often described as "anti-religious") and for not doing enough to keep the Jewish character of Israel. For example, that the party displayed little, if any, resistance or dismay, against former Internal Minister Avraham Poraz's decision not to enforce the prohibition of selling bread during Passover (when eating bread is a prohibition of Chametz according to Orthodox Judaism).

Despite all the criticism, the NRP has had a reputation of honesty and dedication to its parliamentary duties. None of its Knesset members have been accused of corruption.

Members and supporters

Knesset members

The party currently has three Knesset members as part of the 9-seat alliance with the National Union:

Supporters

NRP supporters are mainly religious Zionists, who are Orthodox Jews, in some ways Modern Orthodox. As soldiers they are highly-motivated and disciplined and have an excellent reputation of contributing to the Israeli state and society.

Wherever you look, you see them. Members of the national religious community, with the knitted kippot on their heads. In academia, in economic life, in the educational system, in hi-tech, medicine, the courts, the IDF, even in the media. Each one of them doing their bit of "kiddush Hashem" (sanctifying God) in daily endeavors.

Male religious Zionists can be recognized by their colorful hand-knitted kippah (כיפה) (yarmulka) ("skull-cap"), hence their nickname: הכיפות הסרוגות (Ha-Kippot Ha-Srugot, lit. "The Knitted Yarmulkas").

References

  1. ^ NRP Center - War Maariv, 12 September 2004 Template:He icon
  2. ^ NRP remain in coalition Walla News, 14 September 2004 Template:He icon
  3. ^ Mafdal Party website


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