The End of the Mapai Era: The Election Campaign Proves - This is Israel's New Elite
From Gadi Eisenkot to the Likud, the entire political system is trying to speak the "knitted" language ahead of the upcoming elections. Instead of seeing the fragmentation of votes as a weakness, it should be understood that this is a sector that feels a fateful responsibility for the future of the country and is willing to pay the price. Religious Zionism has fulfilled its historical destiny, and it is the one that will shape the face of the next generation.
For many decades, the political and social map of Israel was divided relatively clearly: on one hand, the "Mapainiks" and the old elite, who held the centers of power, the judicial system, and the mechanisms of culture and security. On the other hand, the "others" — the Mizrahi, Haredi, and Religious Zionist public — who tried to break down the walls and gain a foothold.
However, in the last decade, and even more so in the run-up to the complex election campaigns of recent years, we are witnessing a deep tectonic shift in the structure of Israeli power.
Religious Zionism, once a movement of "fellow travelers" or a sector focused solely on settling the land, has become the most significant political and ideological center of attraction in Israel. The uncompromising battle for the heart and vote of the "knitted" (kippah-wearing) voter is the definitive proof that Religious Zionism is the new elite of the State of Israel.
A comprehensive look at the political map reveals an amazing picture: everyone — from the right, the left, and the center — is trying to speak the "knitted" language. This has long since ceased to be just an internal battle between Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir for the leadership of the Haredi-Leumi and deep right-wing wing. The struggle has expanded in all directions:
On one hand, we see attempts by figures like Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper to create political frameworks that appeal to the state-religious and liberal stream — the one that feels that religious-political radicalization has pushed it out.
On the other hand, Gadi Eisenkot and the National Unity party are broadcasting values that resonate directly in the pre-military preparatory academies, in an attempt to flank the traditional right through a concept of security-oriented statehood and Zionism.
Became the "swing vote"
Even in the Likud, they understand that the traditional base is no longer enough, and they are fighting for every Religious Zionist vote against movements that offer a combination of libertarianism, deep Jewish identity, and an active national vision. The question is no longer why everyone is fighting for this public, but what is the deep meaning of this reality for Israeli society as a whole.
The answer is clear: political sociology teaches that the group that sets the tone, language, and public discourse is the elite in practice. If in the past the young Religious Zionist aspired to integrate into the Air Force, the State Attorney's Office, or academia to feel part of the consensus — today the entire political and social system is aligning itself according to the values, language, and needs of this sector.
Religious Zionism has become the undisputed "swing vote": without those 12-15 mandates, distributed among the various streams and parties, it is impossible to form a coalition or create a stable government.
Moreover, the internal split within the sector does not indicate weakness or disintegration, but rather immense strength. It proves that Religious Zionism is no longer a narrow, sectoral interest group, but reflects all of Israeli society. Its people are now in all key positions: in the senior command of the IDF, in the high-tech industry, in the media, in the civil service, and in the judicial system. When politicians fight for their vote, they are not fighting only for sectoral budgets, but also for the question of the country's leadership and the shaping of its character.
The old elite has been replaced by a public that feels a fateful responsibility for the future of the country, and that is willing to bear the heaviest costs for its existence — as is painfully and prominently reflected in the high rates of fallen soldiers and combatants in Israel's campaigns and recent wars. The political struggle for the "knitted" vote is an acknowledgment that Religious Zionism today constitutes the ideological and value-based engine of society — whether it is a liberal-Jewish vision, the concept of the Whole Land of Israel, or security-oriented statehood.
The stormy political struggle also teaches that Religious Zionism has fulfilled its historical destiny: it is no longer on the margins — it is the beating heart, it is the center, and it is the elite that will shape the face of the State of Israel in the next generation. Whoever manages to crack the complex code of the "knitted" vote, which moves between the holy and the profane, between the book and the sword, and between deep nationalism and statehood — will hold the keys to power.
Dr. Nissim Katz is an expert on politics and communications.
