Far-right Religious Zionism said expected to split up

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15 August 2022, 4:14 pm 1 Edit

MK Itamar Ben Gvir, left, speaks during a press conference ahead of the upcoming elections, in Jerusalem, July 11, 2022; MK Bezalel Smotrich, right, leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, June 6, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The far-right Religious Zionism alliance may split up, with MK Itamar Ben Gvir expected to announce this evening that his Otzma Yehudit faction will run as a separate party in the November 1 elections, according to Hebrew media reports.

Religious Zionism has recently seen a boost in its poll numbers, with one survey giving the party 13 seats if led by Ben Gvir, a disciple of the late extremist rabbi Meir Kahane.

Ben Gvir threatened last month to run alone amid disagreements with party leader Bezalel Smotrich on the makeup of Religious Zionism’s electoral slate.