New details have emerged about the political party being formed with the encouragement of bereaved father Rabbi Benny Kalmanson: Arutz Sheva has learned that the party, "Leyamin Zion" (lit.: to the right of Zion), has already been officially registered with the Registrar of Political Parties.
A source with knowledge of the details stated that the process has been ongoing for several months already and was born out of the understanding that right-wing voters are searching for political belonging and are unable to find it in any of the existing parties.
"The move began when, several months ago, we woke up and saw that there was a huge vacuum in the political system. There are a lot of right-wingers who understand that the situation where the State of Israel depends on non-Zionist parties can not last. At the moment, there are no players on the board whom they are interested in voting for," the source says.
The decision was to establish a Zionist right-wing party, which would declare that it would not join a government that depends on parties that are not Zionist, either Arab or haredi. "We do not support boycotts, but the government can not depend on them," the source explains. "Otherwise, nothing will happen, not on the matter of military conscription and not with any other core issue."
The parties' founders approached several political figures with the intention of bringing candidates who are well-known to the public and have proven themselves through their actions. The names that were already published are MK Yuli Edelstein and former Minister Ayelet Shaked, with whom the founders have held intense talks. Now we can add that the new party is in contact with former Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch, Samaria Regional Council Deputy Chairman Davidi Ben Zion, and bereaved father Hagay Lober.
The party seeks to advance two central goals: renewing the religious Zionist movement and providing a political home for traditional Zionists. “There is a feeling that the party bearing the name of the Religious Zionist sector no longer represents its identity, both on the issue of military service and in its sectoral approach. In addition, we want to serve as a home for traditional Zionists who view national unity as a core value."
According to internal polling conducted by the party, and based on potential future alliances with other right-wing forces, the new party believes it could win a double-digit number of seats. The surveys reportedly indicate that its support would come almost evenly from opposition voters, including supporters of Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, and Avigdor Liberman, as well as from voters aligned with the governing coalition.
The party says it also intends to appeal to haredi voters while emphasizing that the haredi community must take part in Israel’s economic and social responsibilities.
Party officials estimate that its official launch will be announced within about two weeks, when its leading candidates are expected to be unveiled.