Anti-LGBT Far-Right Party Set To Join Israel’s Parliament

The Associated Press reports:

An alliance of far-right groups including openly racist and homophobic candidates appears poised to enter Israel’s parliament, possibly as an indispensable member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, according to exit polls Tuesday.

The Religious Zionist Party includes a new incarnation of the Kahanist movement, a Jewish extremist group outlawed as terrorists by Israel, the United States and other Western countries decades ago over its incitement to violence against Arabs.

The Religious Zionist Party is led by Bezalel Smotrich, a longtime activist and former transport minister who has organized anti-gay protests and recently compared gay marriage to incest.

Read the full article. In 2006, Smotrich organized a “beast parade” of donkeys and goats in protest of Jerusalem Pride.

“An alliance of far-right groups including openly racist and homophobic candidates appears poised to enter Israel’s parliament, possibly as an indispensable member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.”https://t.co/KRR3z0pCgC

— Wilson Dizard (@willdizard) March 24, 2021

The first person Netanyahu reportedly called to congratulate is Bezalel Smotrich, head of the extreme-right Religious Zionist party, which the exit polls say has brought in 7 seats for the pro-Bibi bloc, per Channel 12 #IsraElex4

— Alona Ferber (@paperdispatch) March 23, 2021

.@bezalelsm‘s Religious Zionist Party has likely taken home six seats in the election, giving seats to members of the far-right Otzma and Noam parties on its list. What does this mean for Israel’s progressives?

Reporting by @TzviJoffre | #IsraElex4 https://t.co/JLc1UVzKp1

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) March 24, 2021