SoIA
WikiAbout
2026

October 2026

2.7 Israeli religious-nationalist actors

[V-s][V][R]Open page 8 in the dossier
  • Ben-Gvir: on 3 Aug 2025 (Tisha B'Av) he openly led prayer on the Temple Mount, breaching the status quo. Netanyahu's office said policy was unchanged (Times of Israel, Reuters) [V-s].
  • Red heifers: five were brought from Texas to Israel in Sept 2022 through Boneh Israel for the Temple Institute (Jerusalem Post, Ynet) [V].
  • US money: Haaretz (2015) found about 50 US tax-exempt charities sent roughly $220M+ to settlements in 2009–2013 (Haaretz via archive, Pulitzer Center). Evangelical settlement fundraising, from groups like HaYovel and CFOIC, was estimated at $50–65M over 10 years (Forward) [V].
  • Smotrich: Finance Minister and settlement authority [R].
  • Doesn't show: majority Israeli support. Netanyahu's office publicly disowned the change on the Temple Mount, and Haredi parties are largely non-Zionist.