The Jewish National Front (Hebrew: חֲזִית יְהוּדִית לְאוּמִּית, Hazit Yehudit LeUmit), commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym, Hayil (Hebrew: חי"ל‎), was a religious far-right[1] political party in Israel.

Jewish National Front
חזית יהודית לאומית
FounderBaruch Marzel
FoundedJanuary 2004
Dissolved2012
Split fromHerut – The National Movement
Merged intoOtzma LeYisrael
IdeologyReligious Zionism
Religious conservatism
Social conservatism
Ultranationalism
Kahanism
Halachic state
One-state solution
Political positionFar-right
National affiliationNational Union (2008–2012)
Eretz Yisrael Shelanu (2008–2012)
Most MKs1 (2009–2013)
Fewest MKs1 (2009–2013)
Election symbol
כ
Website
www.hazit.co.il

History

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The party was founded in January 2004 by Baruch Marzel. The party ran in the 2006 elections to the Knesset on a joint list with Professor Paul Eidelberg's Yamin Yisrael party, but received less than the 2% minimum number of votes required to pass the threshold to receive representation.

Marzel was a senior activist for Kach, the most right-wing stream of religious nationalism in Israel, though Marzel was number two on Kleiner's Herut list for the 2003 Knesset elections.

In 2008, prior to the elections for the 18th Knesset, the party merged with Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, which, in turn, joined with the larger National Union party. Jewish National Front representative Michael Ben-Ari was given the fourth spot on the list, and subsequently won a seat in the 18th Knesset in 2009. This marks the first time the Jewish National Front enjoyed Knesset representation.

Position

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The party called for a change in the country's electoral system so that Knesset members represent constituencies, rather than being elected on a party list system, as well as switching to a presidential system of government.[2]

It also supported preserving Israel as a Jewish state by increasing Jewish immigration, limiting immigration of people who are not Jews according to Halakha, and strengthening Jewish education in public schools,[2] and was against territorial compromise, citing the stance of Rabbi Chaim Zimmerman, who wrote a halakhic discourse entitled "The Prohibition of Abandoning Land in Eretz Yisrael".[2]

Election results

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Party ballot for the 2006 election
Election Leader Votes % Seats +/–
2006 Baruch Marzel 24,824 0.8
0 / 120
New
2009 Baruch Marzel Part of the National Union
1 / 120
  1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Date for far right Umm el-Fahm march announced The Jerusalem Post, 2 December 2008
  2. ^ a b c Hazit: The Jewish National Front -- By Prof. Paul Eidelberg GalileeBlog, 7 December 2005
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