Why Israel’s Religious Zionists don’t care about the hostages

For Israel's rising jingoistic, messianic religious right, the war in Gaza is about recovering pride. Desperate hostages don't fit their narrative, writes ISHAY ROSEN-ZVI.

A fundamental ideology is at work, according to which the war in Gaza is the ultimate national drama, a rare opportunity to recover national pride and a sense of invincibility. In this narrative, the hostages are a source of collective weakness. Supporting their cause means elevating the cause of the individual above that of the state.

This is not just a matter of immediate priorities but of a whole value system. Several right-wing speakers presented the war as a rare opportunity to recover a sense of honor and unity. Yinon Magal, a prominent right-wing journalist described this period as a "great era that does good for Israel"

Then there is religion. According to a recent poll, 73 percent of the secular Jewish population supports a deal with Hamas to release the hostages, in comparison to 52 percent of those who define themselves as "masorati," 41 percent of those identified as religious, and only 24 percent of the Haredi community.