Union of Right-Wing Parties

The Union of Right-wing Parties (Hebrew: איחוד מפלגות הימין, Ihud Miflagot HaYamin) was a short-lived electoral alliance of right-wing to far-right religious Zionist parties which included The Jewish Home, Otzma Yehudit, and Tkuma. The list was created ahead of the April 2019 Israeli legislative election,[2] after the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, urged the Jewish Home alliance to accept Otzma Yehudit as part of its list for the April election, to avoid losing votes for the right-wing bloc.[3] The alliance gained five seats in the April election.[4]

Union of Right-wing Parties
איחוד מפלגות הימין‎
LeaderRafi Peretz
Founded21 February 2019
Dissolved14 July 2020
HeadquartersAirport City, Israel[1]
IdeologyReligious Zionism
Religious conservatism
National conservatism
Social conservatism
Orthodox interests
Settler interests
Factions:
Ultranationalism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
ReligionOrthodox Judaism
National affiliationYamina (2019, 2020)
Member partiesJewish Home
National Union
Otzma Yehudit (2019)
Election symbol
טב‎
Website
hayemin.org

Otzma Yehudit left the union on 5 July 2019, citing disagreements with the party, such as the refusal of URWP members to resign to allow Itamar Ben-Gvir to become a Knesset member. In addition, Otzma was unwilling to leave Baruch Marzel and Ben-Zion Gopstein off the electoral slate, as Rafi Peretz demanded.[5]

For the September 2019 election, the URWP ran on a joint list, called Yamina,[6] with the New Right,[7] to get both to pass the 3.25% threshold to enter the Knesset, after the New Right failed to pass the threshold in the April election.[8] The parties later split,[9] though Yamina re-formed for the 2020 Israeli legislative election.[10]

Background

In January 2019, Tkuma and Otzma Yehudit entered talks to form a joint list;[11] however, the talks ultimately failed on 11 February 2019.[12]

On 12 February 2019, Otzma Yehudit entered talks with the Jewish Home party to reach an agreement on a joint list.[13]

On 15 February 2019, Tkuma and the Jewish Home party agreed to a form a list again, with Tkuma getting every other seat on the list.[14]

On 19 February 2019, it was reported that negotiations between Otzma Yehudit and the Jewish Home were deadlocked.[15]

On 20 February 2019, both Otzma Yehudit and the Jewish Home agreed to terms to form a list, after Netanyahu had promised the Jewish Home ministerial positions in exchange for uniting with Otzma Yehudit.[16] In order to facilitate this deal, Netanyahu also gave Jewish Home candidate Eli Ben-Dahan a position on the Likud party list, and formed a surplus-vote agreement between Likud and the URWP.[17]

The party attempted to get Yachad to join the technical list, but negotiations failed, due to the rabbi of Yachad, Rabbi Meir Mazuz, rejecting it,[18] although Eli Yishai, the head of Yachad, has claimed that Aryeh Deri vetoed Yishai's potential ministerial appointment.[19]

Otzma Yehudit announced on 25 June that it would leave the technical bloc over the refusal of the Jewish Home party to seat Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Knesset using the Norwegian law.[20]

On 29 July 2019, the URWP and the New Right reached a final agreement on joint run, with the New Right's Ayelet Shaked leading the joint list, which is[21] named Yamina.[22]

On 15 September, two days before the election, Yamina filed a motion to split back to the New Right and Jewish Home–National Union. Shaked made a last ditch attempt to keep them together, without success.[23]

Controversy

Due to the Kahanist ideology of Otzma Yehudit, there was controversy surrounding Netanyahu attempting to get Otzma Yehudit to run on a list with the Jewish Home party, which led to it being condemned by the American Jewish Committee,[24] the Anti-Defamation League,[25] and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.[26] Yifat Erlich, who was formerly on the slate for The Jewish Home, left the party over the union with Otzma Yehudit.[27]

Michael Ben-Ari, who was placed fifth on the URWP list as part of Otzma Yehudit, was banned from running for the Knesset on 17 March 2019 by the Supreme Court of Israel.[28]

Composition
Name Ideology Position Leader 21st Knesset Results
The Jewish Home Religious Zionism, Religious conservatism Right-wing to far-right Rafi Peretz
3 / 120
National Union Religious Zionism, Ultranationalism Right-wing to far-right Bezalel Smotrich
2 / 120
Otzma Yehudit Kahanism, Ultranationalism Far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir
0 / 120

Leaders
Leader Took office Left office
Rafi Peretz 2019 2020

Knesset election results
Election Leader Votes % Seats Status
April 2019 Rafi Peretz 159,468 (#8) 3.70%
5 / 120
 Caretaker government

Knesset members
Year Members Total
2019 Rafi Peretz, Bezalel Smotrich, Moti Yogev, Ofir Sofer, Idit Silman 5

References
  1. Lahav Harkov (15 March 2019). "Smotrich sees himself on the frontlines of a battle for Israel's future". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. Hezki Baruch (21 February 2019). ""Union of the Right-Wing Parties" submits Knesset list". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. Oster, Marcy. "Why Netanyahu brokered a deal with Kahane's political heirs, and why it matters". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  4. "Otzma Yehudit accuses Jewish Home leader of reneging on election deal". Jewish News Syndicate. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  5. Staff writer (5 July 2019). "Right-wing URWP apparently cracking, with Otzma Yehudit set to run separately". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. Staff writer (12 August 2019). "United Right to run under name "Yemina"". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  7. Sharon, Jeremy (30 July 2019). "Right-wing parties form alliance to be led by Shaked". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  8. "The New Right fails to pass electoral threshold". Ynet. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  9. Wootliff, Raoul (10 October 2019). "Yamina party officially splits into New Right, Jewish Home-National Union". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  10. Staff writer (15 January 2020). "Bennett, Peretz, Smotrich agree to joint run without Ben Gvir". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  11. Hezki Baruch (30 January 2019). "Negotiations between National Union, Otzma Yehudit underway". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  12. Staff writer (11 February 2019). "National Union, Otzma Yehudit negotiations end". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  13. Hezki Baruch (12 February 2019). "Jewish Home alliance with Otzma Yehudit?". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  14. Magid, Jacob (15 February 2019). "Jewish Home and National Union agree to reunite for Knesset run". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  15. Mordechai Sones (19 February 2019). "Otzmah negotiations deadlocked". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  16. Magid, Jacob (20 February 2019). "Jewish Home votes overwhelmingly to back merger with extremist party". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  17. "Top Posts for Merging With Kahanists: Netanyahu, Far-right Party Reach Deal". Haaretz. 20 February 2019.
  18. Hezki Baruch (21 February 2019). "Eli Yishai to run alone". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  19. Staff writer (25 February 2019). "Yishai: Deri vetoed deal for me to run with Jewish Home". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  20. Staff writer (25 June 2019). "Otzma Yehudit splits from United Right". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  21. Staff writer (29 July 2019). "New Right, United Right reach final agreement on joint run". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  22. Staff writer (14 August 2019). "Bennett says right-wing Yamina bloc will recommend Netanyahu as prime minister". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  23. Harkov, Lahav (6 October 2019). "Yamina to officially split into two blocs". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  24. Tibon, Amir (22 February 2019). "Prominent Jewish Group Changes Course, Denounces Far-right Party Courted by Netanyahu". Haaretz. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  25. Jeremy Sharon (27 February 2019). "Jewish groups speak out against union of Bayit Yehudi with Otzma Party". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  26. Staff writer (22 February 2019). "AIPAC slams 'racist and reprehensible' extremist party wooed by Netanyahu". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  27. Staff writer; Jacob Magid (21 February 2019). "Far-right candidate defends extremist Kahane after merger with Jewish Home". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  28. David Rosenberg (17 March 2019). "Arab parties in, Otzma Yehudit candidate out". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
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