Milu’imnikim and Economic Party chairman Yoaz Hendel says he wants to break the political divide between the Netanyahu-Haredi bloc and the parties seeking to replace it, presenting his party as a right-wing alternative that is not committed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I’m right-wing, unequivocally, and our party is also a right-wing party," Hendel told Arutz Sheva - Israel National News. “Right-wing is a person who serves in the army, fights and defends the homeland, protects its territory, and takes care of a free economy and competition. Right-wing is not supporting one person."
Hendel says military service will be a central condition for his participation in any future government. He opposes a coalition with the Haredi parties, arguing that such a government would not advance universal conscription, while also rejecting a government dependent on Arab parties.
“Every Israeli citizen, no matter what he is, Arab, Haredi, secular, left-wing, right-wing, has to do something for the state," he said.
He called for government funding to be withheld from institutions that encourage draft evasion and said those who refuse military or national service should not later be eligible for government positions. He also proposed combining Torah study with military service through new yeshivas in strategic areas.
Hendel links the conscription debate directly to national security, arguing that Israel cannot maintain control of strategic territory without sufficient manpower.
“We need soldiers," he said. “There is no substitute for boots on the ground."
He sharply criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over the lack of progress on Haredi enlistment, saying coalition leaders should have expanded the pool of recruits during the war.
At the same time, Hendel describes himself as firmly right-wing on territorial issues. He supports Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, including new homesteads, opposes a Palestinian state and advocates expanding settlement and moving population from central Israel to the Negev, Galilee and Jordan Valley.
Hendel also criticized Netanyahu, whom he holds responsible for the October 7th massacre, while crediting his government with some subsequent military achievements, including operations in Lebanon and maintaining control of strategic positions.
He says his goal is to win enough seats to enable the formation of what he calls a “Zionist government," without committing in advance to a specific prime minister.
“I want a prime minister who brought the most Zionist mandates," Hendel said. “Once we’re there, you can form a Zionist government. That changes the balance."
He also ruled out a partnership with Yair Golan over differences on settlement and Palestinian statehood.
Beyond security and conscription, Hendel says his party will focus on the cost of living, arguing that the same reservists carrying the military burden are also struggling economically.
“The same people who go for hundreds of days of reservist duty are also the ones who pay," he said, citing mortgages, housing costs and rising prices.
Hendel says he is prepared to remain outside the traditional political blocs, even if that makes his electoral path more difficult.
“Our path is a difficult one, it’s a rough road, but these are the most important issues for Israel."