In February 2022, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited London. Rather than welcoming a senior Israeli government official, the British Jewish establishment launched an unprecedented attack. The Board of Deputies, in an extraordinary breach of protocol, tweeted in Hebrew that Smotrich was “not welcome here” and possessed “abominable views.” Even Mizrachi UK, a religious Zionist organization, rushed to distance itself from him.
Shocking? Not really. Scroll through social media, and you’ll find the same contemptuous attitude from many members of our own Orthodox community, eagerly joining the chorus labeling leaders like Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir as “far-right extremists.” The Times of Israel, supposedly a mainstream Jewish publication, can’t mention Smotrich’s name without prefacing it with “far-right.” This isn’t journalism—it’s character assassination.
Let’s be clear about what’s really happening: This isn’t about Smotrich or Ben-Gvir as individuals. It’s about delegitimizing Torah-based positions by painting them as extreme. The Torah explicitly commands us regarding hostile populations that endanger Israel: “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the Land from before you, then those whom you leave over will be as spikes in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you settle” (Bamidbar 33:55). The Torah further states, “And I will make your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river, for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands, and you shall drive them out from before you” (Shemot 23:31).
If Smotrich’s positions are extreme, then the Torah’s positions are extreme. When you label these leaders as “far-right,” you’re not just attacking them—you’re attacking fundamental Jewish principles and the hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who remain loyal to them.
In my own community of Efrat, hardly a hotbed of extremism, 49% of residents voted for Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit in the November 2022 election—before October 7th. Are half my neighbors “far-right extremists”? Current polls show that if elections were held today, Ben-Gvir’s party alone would win nine Knesset seats, with Smotrich’s Religious Zionism securing another four to six. This growing support isn’t surprising. It’s clear that their positions advocating transfer of a hostile Arab population were not “extreme” but rather, prescient. These aren’t fringe figures—they represent a substantial and growing portion of Israeli society that understands the tragic reality we now face.
Consider Knesset Member Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionist Party. Before entering politics, Tal served as director of World Bnei Akiva, where he led mainstream Orthodox Zionism’s premier youth movement. Living in Efrat’s Tamar neighborhood with his family, Tal embodies the warmth and openness that characterizes our community. He’s the kind of person who learned English watching “Friends” as a kid, and who, when left-wing activist teenagers protested outside his house, invited them in for cookies, hot drinks and open conversation. His even-keeled nature and ability to maintain composure while engaging with opponents exemplifies the true character of the movement he represents.
I’ve worked closely with MK Tal at Israel365, where we partnered with him and the Religious Zionist Party to organize a groundbreaking conference featuring former U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, focusing on establishing Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. These aren’t radical positions—they’re fundamental Jewish values grounded in Torah and security realities.
Just last week, Tal introduced legislation calling for Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Is following the Torah’s mandate now considered extremism? God explicitly warns against giving away His land: “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land” (Yoel 4:2).
The horrific murder of the Bibas family—including 10-month-old Kfir, 4-year-old Ariel, and their mother, Shiri—at the hands of Hamas, and the sickening parade of their bodies by Gaza’s population, has shattered any remaining illusions about Palestinian intentions. This barbarity confirms what Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s parties were alone in understanding before October 7th: We are not dealing with a population seeking peaceful coexistence. The Palestinians themselves confirm this—recent polling shows 72% justify Hamas’ massacre and 84% support Hamas even now. While other parties clung to dangerous fantasies of cooperation, Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit were the only ones who recognized and warned of this existential threat.
The demonization of Israeli leaders by our own community laid the groundwork for the International Criminal Court and other antisemitic organizations targeting them after October 7th. When Jews rush to label other Jews as extremists for holding traditional Jewish positions, we shouldn’t be surprised when our enemies seize upon these characterizations.
The time has come to reject this linguistic manipulation. When you smear Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and Tal as extremists, you’re smearing me, my family and the vast majority of religious Zionists and traditional Jews in Israel who share their vision. We don’t need approval from those who would rather see Israel weak than Jewish. We’ve had enough of apologizing for believing in a strong Jewish state.
Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and their parties speak for the great majority of the religious Zionist community. The real extremists are those who expect Israel to commit national suicide in the name of international approval. If believing in Jewish sovereignty over our biblical homeland makes me “far-right,” then pin that badge on me—and on the millions of Israelis who share this vision.
Rabbi Elie Mischel is director of Education at Israel365.
