Jewish messianism, religious zionism and Israeli politics: The impact and origins of gush emunim

The Gush Emunim movement has attracted wide public attention, reflected in the extensive coverage of the movement’s views and actions by the Israeli media. The interest in Gush Emunim extends beyond Israel’s borders, and has also been manifested in the field of academic research. In Newman’s opinion, Gush Emunim has played a very influential role in Israeli public life. One of the contributors, Gershon Shafir, claims that ‘as a settlement organization Gush Emunim remained a sect of middle-class Ashkenazim, with higher religious and secular education, unable to broaden its base’. Contrary to its public image, Gush Emunim is far from being a monolithic group in terms of political attitudes. Amnon Rubinstein concludes that the political messianism of Gush Emunim reflects a ‘new religious tenor’, radically different from the original outlook and attitudes of religious Zionism, which is in ‘open defiance of Herzlian Zionism’.