Hatsofe

by Gad Nahshon

Hatsofe is the less known daily of the Zionist religious camp in Israel. It expresses the ideas of the Mafdal, the religious party in the Knesset or the Mizrachy Hapoel Mizrachy and Bnai Akiva, its youth movement. This party has moved to the right. It supports the settlements in Yesha. It lost power to Shas, the ethnic religious party which does not define itself as a Zionist party.

Years ago Israelis loved the Mafdal leaders such as Moshe Shapira, Moshe Una, Zerach Varhaftig, and of course, the legendary leader Yoseph Burg, the father of Avraham Burg the labor leader, the Knesset's speaker.

The last great leader was Zevulun Hammer. It is still a party with Kibbutsim (Yehuda Ariel, a member of Kibbutz, Tirat Tsvi recently became a member of the Knesset). The Mafdal gave birth after 1967 to a pioneer movement, Gush Emunim, which settled in Yesha to redeem the ancient land of Israel. The party stands behind Arik Sharon. Gonen Ginat is the editor of Hatsofe (Tel Aviv, Hamasger, Street No. 66).

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