The National Religious Party, the most moderate of Israel’s several Orthodox political factions, veered sharply to the right Monday, when its 1,050-member Central Committee elected hard-line Knesset member Avner Shaki as its new leader.
Shaki edged out Religious Affairs Minister Zevulun Hammer for first place on the NRP’s Knesset election list. The No. 3 spot went to Hanan Porat, a Gush Emunim militant who heads the NRP’s right-wing Matzad faction.
The NRP has been in virtually every coalition government since the state was founded. Its small Knesset faction makes up the balance of power among the major parties, none of which has ever been able to obtain sufficient votes to govern alone.
But Porat announced Monday that the NRP would not enter into a coalition with the Labor Party after the next Knesset elections. Uzi Baram, secretary general of the Labor Party, observed that the NRP has spawned a new Tehiya Party.
Tehiya is an ultranationalist right-wing opposition party with both secular and religious members.
But Shaki, a professor of law at Bar Ilan University, said his political views are close to the Likud, which is somewhat less militant than Tehiya. He was not categorical regarding coalition building.
Meanwhile, Hammer and his supporters began consultations over possible secession from the NRP and the formation of a moderate religious Zionist party.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
