Election strategy and coalition possibilities
Otzma Yehudit candidate Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron’s Jewish community, urged voters at a Beit Shemesh question-and-answer session to strengthen Itamar Ben-Gvir’s influence in the next government. His remarks combined party priorities, personal proposals and regional analysis.
Fleisher cited polls projecting seven to 10 seats for Otzma Yehudit without naming pollsters, and described outreach to English- and Russian-speaking voters. He warned that Netanyahu might pursue a centrist coalition, potentially with Gadi Eisenkot, and argued that a stronger Otzma would pull him rightward. He presented these as possibilities dependent on turnout and the election result.
He warned that votes for parties falling below the electoral threshold could weaken the right-wing bloc, while acknowledging their right to run and Ben-Gvir’s history leading a small party. He said candidate lists were already closed to additions.
Fleisher praised Bezalel Smotrich’s work in Judea and Samaria and expressed respect for Moshe Feiglin, while arguing that Ben-Gvir delivers practical security results. Recalling Rabbi Moshe David Tendler’s work advising families on life-and-death questions, he explained his preference for leaders directly handling such responsibilities.
Voluntary emigration and residency proposals
Fleisher said the party wants a “Ministry of Emigration” to help Arabs who wish to relocate abroad obtain legal status elsewhere and financing to begin new lives. He presented the proposal as voluntary but identified no destination countries or agreements.
He distinguished jihadists from Arabs generally, saying loyal non-Jewish communities should receive protection and opportunities, and cited Druze identification with Israel. Drawing on private conversations, he claimed some Arabs would accept Israeli authority if the Palestinian Authority were removed and residency offered. These accounts were anecdotal.
Responding to a rabbi who advocated residency with limited rights for non-Jews under Jewish law, Fleisher compared that approach with noncitizen residency in the UAE. Separately, he said he would personally seek to prohibit maps labeling Israel’s entire territory as Palestine, which he characterized as advocating Israel’s erasure.
Judicial appointments and government legal advisers
Fleisher advocated changing judicial appointments, giving governments greater ability to appoint and dismiss their legal advisers, and limiting Supreme Court intervention. He argued that the judiciary protects an entrenched political elite and said Tally Gotliv would help advance changes. These were his political assessments and proposed reforms.
Firearm eligibility and civilian deterrence
Fleisher advocated extending firearm eligibility to additional communities. He credited Ben-Gvir with increasing ammunition allowances from 50 to 100 rounds and claimed firearms held by Jewish Israeli civilians had tripled in four years, without citing statistical sources.
He argued that wider access and police support improve deterrence. Asked about rifles and other weapons, he emphasized incremental expansion rather than announcing broader weapons access. He stressed basic Hebrew comprehension for emergency communication and suggested community-organized instruction for applicants.
Policing, extortion and prisoner conditions
Fleisher credited Ben-Gvir with tougher conditions for terrorist prisoners, enforcement against illegal construction and a halving of car theft over several years. He cited no statistical source for the theft claim. Following an audience question, he clarified that his reference to safer roads concerned car theft, rather than road-accident policy.
He identified fighting protection rackets in the Negev and northern Israel as another priority. He said dedicated units had been established against extortion and polygamy, alleging that some polygamous households exploit single-parent benefits through nominal divorces. He supplied no evidence for the prevalence he described.
Capital punishment and a potential test case
Discussing capital punishment for terrorists, Fleisher identified a suspect in a killing at a spring in Samaria before Yom Kippur as a potential test case. He acknowledged that the allegation remained subject to trial and anticipated a Supreme Court battle.
Medical admissions, aliyah and overseas qualifications
Fleisher advocated ending what he described as preferences for Arab medical-school applicants in favor of merit-based admissions, while suggesting possible preferences for Jews.
He also called for simpler aliyah procedures and recognition of overseas qualifications, citing his sister’s difficulty obtaining recognition for a Columbia University doctorate.
Temple Mount access and religious activity
Fleisher credited Ben-Gvir with expanding Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and advocated Shabbat visits, additional entry gates and permission for Jewish religious attire. He discussed the longstanding synagogue proposal associated with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu without presenting an approved construction plan.
He described Jewish presence there as an expression of national identity and a message to Israel’s enemies. Referring to Hamas’s naming of its October 7 attack as the Al-Aqsa Flood, he argued that the site has strategic as well as religious significance.
Fleisher’s assessment of Hamas’s war decision
Fleisher offered four explanations for Hamas’s decision to launch the war: Israel allowing its military infrastructure to develop; domestic divisions over judicial reform; an effort to obstruct Arab-Israeli normalization, particularly with Saudi Arabia; and fears about developments on the Temple Mount and a future Third Temple.
These were Fleisher’s analytical claims, rather than independently established findings presented in the discussion.
Proposed changes to military rules and ethics
Fleisher advocated changing IDF rules of engagement and its ethical code, arguing that progressive ideas had weakened operational resolve. He rejected emphasizing the description of the IDF as the world’s most moral army, favoring military strength and deterrence, while saying this did not mean being bloodthirsty.
He suggested that Ben-Gvir as defense minister could advance such changes, without announcing an appointment agreement.
Farms and hilltop communities
Regarding Judea and Samaria, Fleisher claimed the government had helped establish 1,000 farms protecting millions of dunams. He described his own support for farms and hilltop communities and said police attitudes had improved, although further changes were needed. He provided no documentation for those figures.
Dispute over rhetoric and diplomatic costs
Asked whether Ben-Gvir’s rhetoric harms Israel internationally, Fleisher argued that its principal audience is jihadist organizations. An audience member challenged that defense; Fleisher disputed the member’s interpretation of a Ben-Gvir statement, saying it referred to fighting Hamas.
He argued that hostile commentators distort Israeli statements regardless, while an audience member questioned the diplomatic cost.
Outside pressure, territorial concessions and deterrence
Fleisher argued that security requires stronger deterrence, expanded sovereignty and resistance to outside pressure. On American pressure, he said Israel should take responsibility for its decisions and push back when necessary, citing private conversations in which Republican lawmakers encouraged a firmer stance.
He opposed further territorial concessions and invoked Jabotinsky’s Iron Wall argument that adversaries must understand they cannot defeat Israel.
Regional acceptance and Hebron accessibility
Fleisher argued that lasting strength could enable wider regional acceptance, pointing to the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco and expressing hope for Saudi normalization. He envisaged benefits in transport, tourism, healthcare and education.
He also highlighted his Hebron work, including restoring the tombs of Ruth and Jesse and Avner ben Ner, as efforts to make Jewish Hebron more accessible and familiar.
