ZOA Congratulates PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Pro-Zionist Bloc on Their Apparent Election Win
News Press Release
November 2, 2022

The Religious Zionism Party is NOT “Extreme.”

Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:

The Zionist Organization of America congratulates former and soon-to-be-new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire pro-Zionist bloc (including Likud, Religious Zionism, Shas and Agouda) on their apparent election win yesterday.  According to reports, this victory is likely to be confirmed after the “double envelope” (absentee) votes are all counted.  

It is wrong for the American and Israel left to falsely call the Religious Zionism party (RZP “extreme,” and that the Biden administration is even reportedly considering wrongfully refusing to work with democratically-elected Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben Gvir.  Yet Biden works with Palestinian president Abbas who pays Arabs to murder Jews, names schools, streets and sports teams after Jew-killers, calls Jews “filthy” and says no Jew will be allowed in their State. Ben Gvir is now a 46-year-old civil rights attorney, and repeatedly and clearly renounced certain views that he held when he was a teenager decades ago.  For instance, in September, Ben Gvir told Israeli students:  “I don’t advocate death to Arabs, nor do I advocate deporting all Arabs, but I have a problem with those who throw Molotov cocktails at us or hurt IDF soldiers. I also have a problem with those who are in the Knesset and go against our country.”

It is imperative to have a strong pro-Zionist government now, to deal with huge numbers of Arab terror attacks on innocent Jews and others, instigated by the Palestinian Authority’s incitement and huge “pay to slay” payments to Arabs terrorists to murder Jews and Americans. During the first nine months of 2022, Arab terrorists perpetrated 1,781 terror attacks including shootings, stabbings, car rammings and Molotov cocktails. That’s almost seven terror attacks every single day.  This is an intifada terror war.  This past Saturday night near Kiryat Arba, a Palestinian Arab terrorist shot and murdered a Jewish father who was simply shopping and wounded four others, including Jewish paramedic Ofer Ohana, when Ofer rushed to aid the other Jewish victims of this Arab terror attack.  

Notably, during a hospital visit today to wounded Israeli volunteer paramedic Ofer Ohana, MK Ben Gvir pledged:  “I will work on behalf of everyone, including for those who don’t like me.”

A solid pro-Zionist government is a G-d given opportunity that can finally enable Israel’s leaders to courageously take the vital steps that are needed to ensure Israel’s security and future.  These essential steps were delayed for too long, while Israel struggled with unstable coalition governments. These badly needed steps include: 

  • Ending anti-Jewish discrimination by permitting Jews to build vitally needed housing and communities in Area E-1 and Area C;  
  • Protecting Israel’s security by restoring Israel’s rightful sovereignty (extending Israel law) to at least certain parts of Area C and the Jordan Valley; 
  • Enforcing the law against illegal Arab building on state lands in Area C and the Negev; such illegal building is designed to choke off and endanger the safety of Jewish communities; 
  • Declaring that Lapid’s illegal deal to surrender Israeli maritime territory, exclusive economic zone and gas fields to Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon is null and void, and refiling Line 1 as Israel’s maritime border;
  • Reforming Israel’s judiciary and judicial selection process, to stop self-appointed judges from unconscionably overriding Israel’s democratically enacted basic laws;
  • Reforming rules of engagement to protect Israeli soldiers’ lives and enhance Israeli soldiers’ ability to effectively combat terrorists;
  • Permitting persons of all faiths to freely worship on the Temple Mount;
  • Taking all necessary steps to stop Iran’s terror and nuclear activities and having a credible military option;
  • Making it crystal clear that a Palestinian Arab State would be a Hamas/Iran terrorist dictatorship on Israel’s longest border endangering Israel; and
  • Instituting severe consequences for Arab terrorism, especially increasing Israeli-Arab terrorism.

ZOA President Morton Klein stated: “As a longtime friend of Professor Benzion Netanyahu (Bibi Netanyahu’s late, beloved father), I know that Professor Netanyahu would be immensely proud of Bibi for this great electoral victory, and would wish for Bibi to use this great opportunity to strengthen and secure the Jewish state.” 

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