HaYamin HeHadash (“The New Right”) Party

In December 2018, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home Party, and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked announced the formation of a new party – HaYamin HeHadash (“The New Right”) based on “full partnership” between Orthodox and secular Israelis.

The reason for the move, one of their colleagues suggested, was their realization that they could not be associated with a religious party if they hoped to achieve their eventual goal of becoming prime minister.

A third member of the Jewish Home, MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli, also joined the new party as did Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick.

Shaked and Bennett oppose the creation of a Palestinian state and advocate annexing Area C of the West Bank where all the Israeli settlements are located. They would offer Israeli citizenship to the roughly 100,000 Palestinians living in the area.

The party platform outlines their main positions:

Promotion of cooperation between religious and secular Jews.
The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people.
Opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Belief in economic liberalism.
Belief in personal freedom and personal responsibility.
Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and only of the Jewish people.
Full civil rights for minorities.
Promotion of the Jewish tradition and the Jewish character of the state, without coercion.
Opposition to Judicial activism.
Promotion of the high-tech industry through a laissez-faire approach.
Resistance to unnecessary regulation.
The state should care for those who cannot take care of themselves, while those who are able to work must work.

Prior to the Septmeber 2019 election, HaYamin HeHadash announced it was merging with the Union of Right-Wing Parties under the new name United Right with Shaked at the top of the list.

The United Right won seven seats in the September 2019 election.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressured Naftali Bennett to form a union with the far right parties to increase the chance they would exceed the electoral threshold in March 2020. Bennett, however, decided to run a joint slate – Yamina – with his Hayamin Hehadash Party and the National Union Party without the Kahanist Otzma Yehudit Party. Shaked was replaced by Bennett as leader of the slate.

Sources: Raoul Wootliff, “Bennett, Shaked quit Jewish Home, announce formation of ‘The New Right,’” Times of Israel, (December 29, 2018);
Judy Maltz, “Right-wing Leaders Fear U.S. Peace Plan Could Impact Next Israeli Government,” Haaretz, (February 13, 2019);
“New Right,” Wikipedia;
Allison Kaplan Sommer, “Israel’s Do-over Election: A Guide to All the Parties and Who Holds the Keys to the Next Government,” Haaretz, (July 31, 2019);
onathan Lis, Josh Breiner and Yossi Verter, “Right-wing Party Ditches Kahanists to Join Broad Union as Israeli Parties Submit Final Rosters,” Haaretz, (January 15, 2020).