From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Former judoka Oren Smadja joins Erdan’s new party
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Oren Smadja, a former Olympic bronze medalist in judo who went on to coach the Israeli national team, joins Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein’s Unity party.
Smadja “represented the State of Israel with honor, and after being the coach of the Israeli national team, now joins the excellent team of the Unity party, which is the only party that is both a true right-wing party and will lead to true [Haredi] conscription and the establishment of a broad Zionist government,” the Ynet news site quotes Erdan as saying.
Smadja, who lost his son fighting in Gaza, says the highs and lows of his life have convinced him that “there is one thing that is more important than any political dispute: unity.”
“All my life I have worn the Israeli flag on my suit. I decided it was time to take action for unity. I received many offers from the political system, but I chose to join Gilad Erdan because I believe in him and the path he leads: a true and responsible right wing, which believes that everyone must serve the country and that this value is the basis for unity among us,” he adds.
Smadja is the second candidate to join Erdan and Edelstein since the announcement of their new party last week, following former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch.
Unity is one of the parties of the so-called “Third Bloc” pushing for a broad Zionist unity government
The Times of Israel Community.