Jewish National Front חזית יהודית לאומית | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founder | Baruch Marzel |
| Founded | January 2004 |
| Dissolved | 2012 |
| Split from | Herut – The National Movement |
| Merged into | Otzma LeYisrael |
| Ideology | Religious Zionism Religious conservatism Social conservatism Ultranationalism Kahanism Halachic state One-state solution |
| Political position | Far-right |
| National affiliation | National Union (2008–2012) Eretz Yisrael Shelanu (2008–2012) |
| Most MKs | 1 (2009–2013) |
| Fewest MKs | 1 (2009–2013) |
| Election symbol | |
| כ | |
| Website | |
| www.hazit.co.il | |
TheJewish National Front (Hebrew:חֲזִית יְהוּדִית לְאוּמִּית,Hazit Yehudit Le'umit), commonly known in Israel by itsHebrew abbreviationHayil (חי"ל), was a religiousfar-rightpolitical party inIsrael.[1]
The party was founded in January 2004 byBaruch Marzel. The party ran in the2006 elections to the Knesset on a joint list with ProfessorPaul Eidelberg'sYamin 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 forKach, the most right-wing stream of religious nationalism in Israel, though Marzel was number two on Kleiner's Herut list for the2003 Knesset elections.
In 2008, prior to theelections for the 18th Knesset, the party merged withEretz Yisrael Shelanu, which, in turn, joined with the largerNational Union party. Jewish National Front representativeMichael Ben-Ari was given the fourth spot on the list, and subsequently won a seat in the 18th Knesset in 2009. This marked the first time the Jewish National Front hadKnesset representation.
The party called for a change in the country's electoral system so thatKnesset 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 backed increasingJewish immigration, limiting immigration of people who are not Jews according toHalakha, and strengthening Jewish education in public schools,[2] and opposed aPalestinian state, citing the stance of RabbiChaim Zimmerman, who wrote a halakhic discourse entitled "The Prohibition of Abandoning Land in Eretz Yisrael".[2]
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Baruch Marzel | 24,824 | 0.8 | 0 / 120 | New |
| 2009 | Baruch Marzel | Part of theNational Union | 1 / 120 |  1 | |