The country’s two far-right parties, Moledet and what is left of Techiya, have decided to merge.
Moledet leaders ratified the decision during a rally held this week in Netzarim, the Gaza settlement whose continued existence has recently been called into question for security reasons by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Techiya ratified the merger some weeks ago.
The official name of the new party is Moledet, the Movement of the Faithful of Eretz Yisrael and Former Techiya Members. It is expected to be referred to most often as Moledet.
Speaking at the rally, Moledet’s founder, former Gen. Rehavam Ze’evi, said that he had long ago contemplated establishing a new party that would have joined with Techiya, but that Techiya had been opposed to the idea.
“Had they not opposed it, Moledet would never have come into existence,” said Ze’evi.
NATIONALISTS ‘MUST DEMONSTRATE SOLIDARITY’
Deploring the tensions and rivalries on the right of the political spectrum, Ze’evi urged that “now more than ever the nationalist camp must demonstrate solidarity.”
Moledet has three seats in the present Knesset. Techiya received no seats in the last election.
Techiya, which means “revival” in Hebrew, was founded in October 1979 by Geula Cohen, who broke with the Likud after then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David agreement of 1978.
Among other early Techiya leaders were Gush Emunim pioneer Hanan Porat, who came from and subsequently rejoined the National Religious Party, and Rafael Eitan, who was chief of staff during the Lebanon War of 1982.
Eitan later left Techiya to form the Tsomet Party, whose success in the 1992 elections broke the influence of Techiya, which failed to get enough votes to qualify for a Knesset seat.
Moledet was established in 1988, at a time when the late Rabbi Meir Kahane’s ultranationalist Kach party was barred by the High Court from participating in that year’s elections.
It was then generally assumed that the two seats Moledet won in that election were picked up from voters who would otherwise have backed Kach.
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.
