Progressive Left-Wing groups push to take control of Israel’s national institutions
The battle over the World Zionist Organization is heating up, with progressive left-wing groups attempting to control national institutions in Israel. Yaakov Hagoel, one of the leaders of the World Likud–ZOA 15 coalition, says: “I call on the national camp to vote and help shape the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people”.
With elections for the World Zionist Congress set for the end of the year, a fight for control is heating up. Left-wing organizations—including the Reform Movement, Brothers in Arms, Meretz, and an affiliate of Yesh Atid—are pouring tens of millions of shekels into a campaign aimed at shifting control of Zionist institutions to the left.
Click here to vote in the World Zionist Congress elections in the USA, vote 15 for ZOA>>
One of the central institutions at stake is the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), where the ongoing political struggle has pitted right-leaning and left-leaning representatives against each other. The left has tried to block KKL’s support of the settlements beyond the Green Line. One recent example: at the start of the war, left-wing groups attempted to prevent KKL from funding emergency defense units in Jewish communities across Judea and Samaria. That attempt was ultimately blocked thanks to the persistence of current KKL chair Ifat Ovadia-Luski, a Likud representative in the national institutions.
While left-wing organizations have, even during wartime, staged protests abroad against the Prime Minister, lobbied the Biden administration to sanction Israeli citizens, and in some cases even supported protests against the war itself, the ZOA-15 coalition stands in stark contrast. Led by World Likud and represented by Yaakov Hagoel—currently serving as Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization—the ZOA-15 coalition has been rallying support in the U.S. for the State of Israel, the Israeli government, the IDF, and Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.
Click here to vote in the World Zionist Congress elections in the USA, vote 15 for ZOA>>
Recently, left-wing representatives also opposed the Israeli government’s request for help from the World Zionist Organization in supporting the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which provides aid and support for released hostages and their families. Their opposition failed due to strong pushback from the right-wing coalition.
“These elections, taking place during a time of war, are critical for Israel and the Jewish people”, Yaakov Hagoel says. “They will determine the direction we take, whether it’s the national path that I and my colleagues in World Likud–ZOA 15 champion, or the path of the progressive left”.
He added: “Every Jew over 18 in the U.S. is eligible to vote. The process is entirely online. You fill out a form, pay five dollars—what we call the ‘Zionist shekel’—and confirm you’re a real person. You also sign a declaration that you believe in the principles of Zionism, didn’t vote in the last Israeli election, and are a Jew over 18. We’re asking voters to support party number 15, ZOA—a respected, long-standing, experienced, and ideological organization working on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel”.
