Jewish Home (HaBayit HaYehudi)

Jewish Home (HaBayit HaYehudi)
Name	Jewish Home
Native name	HaBayit HaYehudi
Country	Israel
Founded	2008
Founder	Naftali Bennett
Position	Right-wing to far-right

Jewish Home (HaBayit HaYehudi) is an Israeli political party that emerged from the fusion of religious Zionist movements and settler activism. The party positioned itself within the blocs associated with Likud, Yamina, Religious Zionism (party), and the broader right-wing spectrum during electoral cycles involving figures such as Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked, Rafi Peretz, Bezalel Smotrich, and Yair Lapid. Jewish Home participated in coalition talks with leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, and Avigdor Lieberman and competed in Knesset elections alongside parties like Labor Party (Israel), Meretz, Shas (political party), and United Torah Judaism.

History

Jewish Home traces roots to mergers among organizations such as National Religious Party (Mafdal), Tkuma (National Union-Tkuma), and settler advocacy groups active after events like the Gaza disengagement and the Second Intifada. In 2008 and 2012 realignments it absorbed activists from movements including Gush Emunim and political actors connected to the Yesha Council and municipal leaders from settlements in the West Bank. Leadership transitions involved figures such as Daniel Hershkowitz, Uri Ariel, Ze'ev Elkin, and later Naftali Bennett whose 2012 stewardship followed campaigns recalling controversies linked to the Elections for the 19th Knesset (2013) and grassroots organizing alongside Ayelet Shaked. The party's fortunes rose in the context of alliance negotiations with Jewish Home–National Union and later fractures that contributed to the formation of lists like Yamina (electoral alliance) and defections to New Right (HaYamin HeHadash).

Ideology and Platform

Jewish Home advanced a platform blending positions championed by Religious Zionism (movement), pro-settlement policies associated with Yesha Council, and socioeconomic stances resonant with figures such as Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked. Core policy planks addressed sovereignty over disputed territories, proposing measures linked to debates around the Annexation of the West Bank and counterterrorism approaches shaped by responses to events like the October 2000 events and operations such as Operation Protective Edge. The party also addressed issues tied to Jewish identity and the role of Orthodox Judaism in public life, engaging institutions including yeshivot and leaders from Rabbinate of Israel circles, while proposing reforms echoing arguments made in policy papers by think tanks associated with Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and activists from Im Tirtzu.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The party's formal organs included a central committee, local branches across municipalities including Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva, and settlement councils in the West Bank. Key leaders over time were Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked, Rafi Peretz, Uri Ariel, and Ze'ev Elkin, each representing networks connected to institutions like Bar-Ilan University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and nongovernmental actors such as Amana and Binyamin Regional Council. Electoral lists were determined by primaries and negotiations involving stakeholders from Religious Zionist youth movements and rabbinical patrons linked to entities like Mizrachi (religious Zionist movement) and the Rabbanut leadership, with administrative support from campaign teams experienced in contests like the 2015 Israeli legislative election.

Electoral Performance

Jewish Home's electoral trajectory ranged from modest representation in the Knesset to peaks achieved under Bennett and Shaked in the 2015 election, followed by declines amid splits and realignments that produced formations such as New Right (Israel) and the Yamina alliance. The party's seat totals fluctuated across contests for the 19th Knesset (2013), 20th Knesset (2015), 21st Knesset (2019), 22nd Knesset (2019) and subsequent elections, impacting coalition arithmetic during negotiations involving Likud, Blue and White (political alliance), and Joint List (Israel). Performance in municipal and regional ballots also reflected its base in settlements and religious communities, influencing appointments to ministries in cabinets led by Benjamin Netanyahu and later participation in governing arrangements with Naftali Bennett as prime minister in a coalition including Yesh Atid and Yamina.

Controversies and Criticism

The party faced criticism for stances related to settlement expansion, the Annexation of the West Bank, and comments by members that drew rebukes from domestic and international actors including European Union representatives and the United Nations envoys. Specific incidents involved rhetoric debated in the Knesset and media coverage alongside legal challenges linked to activists in settler outposts and controversies involving appointments to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and education roles contested by groups like Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem. Internal disputes produced public splits with figures such as Bezalel Smotrich and electoral partners that critics in Peace Now and liberal newspapers compared to similar debates involving Likud and Labor Party (Israel) factions.

Alliances and Coalitions

Jewish Home engaged in alliances with parties including National Union (Israel), Tkuma (National Union-Tkuma), New Right (HaYamin HeHadash), and later the Yamina (electoral alliance), forming blocs negotiated with Likud, United Torah Judaism, and centrist lists such as Yesh Atid during the formation of unity and emergency coalitions. Coalition bargaining involved negotiations over portfolios with leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz and impacted legislative agendas concerning settlement policy, judicial reform debates that invoked institutions like the Supreme Court of Israel, and security legislation debated in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Category:Political parties in Israel