Union of Right-Wing Parties

{{Infobox political party

| name = Union of Right-wing Parties

| foundation = 21 February 2019

| dissolved = 14 July 2020

| country = Israel

| ideology = {{nowrap|Religious Zionism
Religious conservatism
National conservatism
Social conservatism
Orthodox interests
Settler interests
Factions:
Ultranationalism}}

| affiliation1 = Jewish Home
National Union
Otzma Yehudit (2019)

| affiliation1_title = Member parties

| religion = Orthodox Judaism

| leader = Rafi Peretz

| seats1 =

| seats1_title = Knesset

| native_name = {{Script/Hebrew|איחוד מפלגות הימין}}

| logo = Union of the right wing parties.svg

| logo_size = 100px

| colorcode = {{party color|Union of Right-Wing Parties}}

| symbol = {{Script/Hebrew|טב}}

| position = Right-wing to far-right

| website = {{URL|https://hayemin.org/}}

| headquarters = Airport City, Israel{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Magazine/A-culture-warrior-with-eyes-on-the-cabinet-583415|title=Smotrich sees himself on the frontlines of a battle for Israel's future|work=The Jerusalem Post|language=en|access-date=15 March 2019|date=15 March 2019|author=Lahav Harkov}}

| national = Yamina (2019, 2020)

| successor =

}}

The Union of Right-wing Parties ({{Langx|he|איחוד מפלגות הימין}}, Ihud Miflagot HaYamin) was a short-lived electoral alliance of right-wing to far-right religious Zionist parties which included The Jewish Home, Otzma Yehudit, and Tkuma. The list was created ahead of the April 2019 Israeli legislative election,{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259430|title="Union of the Right-Wing Parties" submits Knesset list|work=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=22 February 2019|author=Hezki Baruch|date=21 February 2019 }} after the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, urged the Jewish Home alliance to accept Otzma Yehudit as part of its list for the April election, to avoid losing votes for the right-wing bloc.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-netanyahu-brokered-a-deal-with-kahanes-political-heirs-and-why-it-matters/|title=Why Netanyahu brokered a deal with Kahane's political heirs, and why it matters|last=Oster|first=Marcy|work=The Times of Israel|language=en-US|access-date=22 February 2019}} The alliance gained five seats in the April election.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jns.org/otzma-yehudit-accuses-jewish-home-leader-of-welshing-on-election-deal-screening-calls/|title=Otzma Yehudit accuses Jewish Home leader of reneging on election deal|work=Jewish News Syndicate|access-date=16 January 2020|date=20 June 2019}}

Otzma Yehudit left the union on 5 July 2019, citing disagreements with the party, such as the refusal of URWP members to resign to allow Itamar Ben-Gvir to become a Knesset member. In addition, Otzma was unwilling to leave Baruch Marzel and Ben-Zion Gopstein off the electoral slate, as Rafi Peretz demanded.{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/otzma-yehudits-ben-gvir-on-urwp-i-hope-they-pass-electoral-threshold/|title=Right-wing URWP apparently cracking, with Otzma Yehudit set to run separately|author=Staff writer|date=5 July 2019|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=13 January 2020}}

For the September 2019 election, the URWP ran on a joint list, called Yamina,{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267286|title=United Right to run under name "Yemina"|work=Arutz Sheva|date=12 August 2019|author=Staff writer|access-date=12 December 2019}} with the New Right,{{Cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/New-Right-and-URP-seal-political-union-deal-597080|title=Right-wing parties form alliance to be led by Shaked|last=Sharon|first=Jeremy|date=30 July 2019|work=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=12 December 2019}} to get both to pass the 3.25% threshold to enter the Knesset, after the New Right failed to pass the threshold in the April election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5492781,00.html|title=The New Right fails to pass electoral threshold|date=11 April 2019|work=Ynet|access-date=12 December 2019}} The parties later split,{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/yamina-party-officially-splits-into-new-right-jewish-home-national-union/|title=Yamina party officially splits into New Right, Jewish Home-National Union|last=Wootliff|first=Raoul|date=10 October 2019|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=12 December 2019}} though Yamina re-formed for the 2020 Israeli legislative election.{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/274617|title=Bennett, Peretz, Smotrich agree to joint run without Ben Gvir|date=15 January 2020|work=Arutz Sheva|author=Staff writer|access-date=15 January 2020}}

Background

In January 2019, Tkuma and Otzma Yehudit entered talks to form a joint list;{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258370|title=Negotiations between National Union, Otzma Yehudit underway|work=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019|author=Hezki Baruch|date=30 January 2019}} however, the talks ultimately failed on 11 February 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258901|title=National Union, Otzma Yehudit negotiations end|work=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019|author=Staff writer|date=11 February 2019}}

On 12 February 2019, Otzma Yehudit entered talks with the Jewish Home party to reach an agreement on a joint list.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258935|title=Jewish Home alliance with Otzma Yehudit?|work=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019|author=Hezki Baruch|date=12 February 2019}}

On 15 February 2019, Tkuma and the Jewish Home party agreed to a form a list again, with Tkuma getting every other seat on the list.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-home-and-national-union-agree-to-reunite-for-knesset-run/|title=Jewish Home and National Union agree to reunite for Knesset run|last=Magid|first=Jacob|work=The Times of Israel|language=en-US|access-date=13 December 2019|date=15 February 2019}}

On 19 February 2019, it was reported that negotiations between Otzma Yehudit and the Jewish Home were deadlocked.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259305|title=Otzmah negotiations deadlocked|work=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019|author=Mordechai Sones|date=19 February 2019}}

On 20 February 2019, both Otzma Yehudit and the Jewish Home agreed to terms to form a list, after Netanyahu had promised the Jewish Home ministerial positions in exchange for uniting with Otzma Yehudit.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-home-central-committee-overwhelmingly-backs-merger-with-extremist-party/|title=Jewish Home votes overwhelmingly to back merger with extremist party|last=Magid|first=Jacob|work=The Times of Israel|language=en-US|access-date=13 December 2019|date=20 February 2019}} In order to facilitate this deal, Netanyahu also gave Jewish Home candidate Eli Ben-Dahan a position on the Likud party list, and formed a surplus-vote agreement between Likud and the URWP.{{cite news|work=Haaretz|title=Top Posts for Merging With Kahanists: Netanyahu, Far-right Party Reach Deal|date=20 February 2019|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/.premium-netanyahu-to-right-wing-party-merge-with-kahanists-and-get-key-portfolios-1.6956512}}

The party attempted to get Yachad to join the technical list, but negotiations failed, due to the rabbi of Yachad, Rabbi Meir Mazuz, rejecting it,{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259429|title=Eli Yishai to run alone|website=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=23 February 2019|date=21 February 2019|author=Hezki Baruch}} although Eli Yishai, the head of Yachad, has claimed that Aryeh Deri vetoed Yishai's potential ministerial appointment.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259540|title=Yishai: Deri vetoed deal for me to run with Jewish Home|website=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=25 February 2019|date=25 February 2019|author=Staff writer}}

Otzma Yehudit announced on 25 June that it would leave the technical bloc over the refusal of the Jewish Home party to seat Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Knesset using the Norwegian law.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/265062|title=Otzma Yehudit splits from United Right|author=Staff writer|work=Arutz Sheva|access-date=25 June 2019|date=25 June 2019}}

On 29 July 2019, the URWP and the New Right reached a final agreement on joint run, with the New Right's Ayelet Shaked leading the joint list, which is{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266645|title=New Right, United Right reach final agreement on joint run|website=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=29 July 2019|date=29 July 2019|author=Staff writer}} named Yamina.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-says-right-wing-yamina-bloc-will-recommend-netanyahu-as-prime-minister/|title=Bennett says right-wing Yamina bloc will recommend Netanyahu as prime minister|website=The Times of Israel|language=en|access-date=14 August 2019|date=14 August 2019|author=Staff writer}}

On 15 September, two days before the election, Yamina filed a motion to split back to the New Right and Jewish Home–National Union. Shaked made a last ditch attempt to keep them together, without success.{{Cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Yamina-to-officially-split-on-Sunday-603705|title=Yamina to officially split into two blocs|last=Harkov|first=Lahav|date=6 October 2019|work=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=12 December 2019}}

Controversy

Due to the Kahanist ideology of Otzma Yehudit, there was controversy surrounding Netanyahu attempting to get Otzma Yehudit to run on a list with the Jewish Home party, which led to it being condemned by the American Jewish Committee,{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-ajc-changes-course-denounces-far-right-party-courted-by-netanyahu-1.6959216|title=Prominent Jewish Group Changes Course, Denounces Far-right Party Courted by Netanyahu|last=Tibon|first=Amir|date=22 February 2019|work=Haaretz|access-date=22 February 2019|language=en}} the Anti-Defamation League,{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-Elections/Jewish-groups-speak-out-against-union-of-Bayit-Yehudi-with-Otzmah-party-581291|title=Jewish groups speak out against union of Bayit Yehudi with Otzma Party|work=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=13 December 2019|author=Jeremy Sharon|date=27 February 2019}} and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/major-us-jewish-groups-slam-racist-and-reprehensible-extremist-israeli-party/|title=AIPAC slams 'racist and reprehensible' extremist party wooed by Netanyahu|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=22 February 2019|author=Staff writer|date=22 February 2019}} Yifat Erlich, who was formerly on the slate for The Jewish Home, left the party over the union with Otzma Yehudit.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-candidate-defends-extremist-kahane-after-merger-with-jewish-home/|title=Far-right candidate defends extremist Kahane after merger with Jewish Home|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=21 February 2019|date=21 February 2019|author1=Staff writer|author2=Jacob Magid}}

Michael Ben-Ari, who was placed fifth on the URWP list as part of Otzma Yehudit, was banned from running for the Knesset on 17 March 2019 by the Supreme Court of Israel.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/260489|title=Arab parties in, Otzma Yehudit candidate out|website=Arutz Sheva|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019|author=David Rosenberg|date=17 March 2019}}