Itay Landsberg Nevo: What is the "Redemption" according to the Israeli government 2026

An opinion piece by Itay Landsberg Nevo examining the political use of the concept of "redemption" by Israel's religious and ultra-Orthodox right-wing parties, comparing it to Maimonides' halachic definition of redemption. The writer argues there is a gap between messianic promises and the reality of violence in the territories, ongoing war, economic crisis and abandonment of captives, and accuses the parties of cynical use of the concept to obtain budgets and power.

An opinion piece by Itay Landsberg Nevo, former editor of "Mabat Sheni", analyzing the political use of the concept of "redemption" by the religious and ultra-Orthodox right-wing parties in the 2026 coalition. The writer opens with a description of recurring violence in the territories on Shabbat, noting the absence of response from rabbis and religious representatives, in contrast to their sharp response to other Shabbat desecrations. He presents Maimonides' halachic definition of redemption as a practical, graduated process including leadership, building the Temple, ingathering of exiles and observance of Torah, emphasizing that "the world follows its customary course". The writer argues that the ultra-Orthodox parties (Yahadut HaTorah and Shas) view redemption as a future, heavenly event and their political role is to obtain budgets for preserving the ultra-Orthodox way of life, while Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam view the state and settlement as stages in a redemptive process, but do not present an orderly halachic plan. The writer asks whether the violence in the territories, the draft evasion law and the judicial overhaul are part of the redemption, and calls on the public to demand from political representatives a clear definition of the concept.