46 Facts About Moshe Feiglin

Moshe Zalman Feiglin is a right libertarian-leaning Israeli politician and activist, and the leader of libertarian Zionist party Zehut.

In November 1996, Moshe Feiglin established the Manhigut Yehudit movement; it joined Likud in 2000, with Moshe Feiglin declaring that he would be a candidate for chairmanship of the party as a springboard for premiership of the State of Israel.

In early January 2015, Moshe Feiglin announced that he was leaving the Likud and forming his own party, after the Likud primaries the previous month.

Moshe Feiglin complained about efforts that were done to try to keep him out of Israel's parliament, the Knesset.

Moshe Feiglin referred to alleged political corruption in the Likud primary and legal maneuvers Benjamin Netanyahu took in the past to move him down the party's list, accusing the prime minister of trying to assassinate him politically.

Moshe Feiglin was born in Haifa, the son of Ya'akov Zvi and Esther Feiglin.

Moshe Feiglin's ancestors moved to Palestine, from Imperial Russia during the First Aliyah.

Moshe Feiglin's father served in the Jewish Settlement Police during the British Mandate era.

Moshe Feiglin later signed on to one additional year as a career soldier, and attained the rank of captain.

Moshe Feiglin ran a company that used rope rappelling in the construction industry.

Moshe Feiglin is married, and has five children, and lives in the settlement of Karnei Shomron.

The main tactical difference between the two in Moshe Feiglin's thought is that Zo Artzeinu protested government policy without suggesting an alternative, whereas Manhigut Yehudit seeks to become the government and be the alternative.

Moshe Feiglin says that the movement's leadership will arise from "those who have a deep commitment to Torah values".

Moshe Feiglin opposes the surrender of what he regards as Jewish land, and has demanded the government take action against the estimated 50,000 illegal Arab structures built throughout the country.

Moshe Feiglin has stated that Likud had "given up true Likud values and acquiesced in the Gaza evacuation".

Moshe Feiglin was a minor candidate in the 2002 Likud leadership election.

Moshe Feiglin attempted to run for a slot on the party's Knesset list, but encountered severe opposition from Netanyahu, who delayed party elections and advocated making changes to its charter to bar "anyone who has served three or more months in prison" from running as a Likud MK.

Moshe Feiglin withdrew from the race on 3 January 2006, following the release of a statement from the Likud party election chairman declaring, in agreement with a prior decision by the Israeli High Court, that Moshe Feiglin's conviction was not for "dishonorable" violations of the law, allowing him to participate in future Likud affairs.

Netanyahu, fearing a strong showing by Moshe Feiglin, tried to have him ousted from the party prior to the vote, and said he would continue such efforts.

On 10 December 2008, Moshe Feiglin was won twentieth place in the Likud primaries.

Moshe Feiglin has openly stated that, though he is not opposed to peace, peace is not his goal, and would not be on the top of his agenda as Prime Minister.

Rather, Moshe Feiglin's focus is on reforming Israel as an essentially Jewish State by acting on several campaigns on the religious, social, legal, and security fronts.

Moshe Feiglin is against religious coercion and the establishment of religious political parties.

Moshe Feiglin has come out against legislation such as the Chametz Law, which forbids selling leavened products on the Passover Holiday, when eating or owning leavened food products is prohibited by Jewish law.

Moshe Feiglin is a proponent of the civil marriage initiative in Israel which would allow any Israeli citizen to marry without a religious cleric.

Moshe Feiglin has advocated removing the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf's control over the entire al-Aqsa complex, and suggested a synagogue should be established on the Temple Mount.

Moshe Feiglin's plan included attacking all of Gaza, its infrastructure and military sites, without regard to civilian "human shields".

Moshe Feiglin said the civilians of Gaza could go to Sinai, and his plan would "ease the housing crisis in Israel".

Moshe Feiglin said that he "definitely" supported "tent encampments" before the people in Gaza can be relocated to another place.

In 2008, Moshe Feiglin has proposed a plan to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Moshe Feiglin pointed to a poll by An-Najah University in Nablus, which showed that one in three Palestinian Arabs would emigrate to other countries even without a financial incentive, as supporting his plan.

Moshe Feiglin proposed that Israel actively encourage Israeli-Arabs to emigrate to the Arab world, and provide assistance to any Arab who chooses to do so.

In 2003, Moshe Feiglin proposed replacing the Knesset with a bicameral legislature, whose upper house, which would control all "national affairs", would be "composed exclusively of Jews".

The posting was taken down on December 9,2008, the day after Moshe Feiglin won twentieth place in the Likud primaries.

However, the posting had been archived by Israeli scholar Tomer Persico prior to being removed, and Persico wrote a 2012 article analyzing Moshe Feiglin's program, referencing the 2003 posting.

On 3 April 2019, Moshe Feiglin gave a speech at Maariv Jerusalem Post conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, in which he called to rebuild the Third Temple on Temple Mount immediately.

On 15 June 2024, Moshe Feiglin said, in the context of the Gaza war, 'As Hitler said 'I can't live if one Jew is left,' we can't live here if one 'Islamo-Nazi' remains in Gaza and not before we return to Gaza and turn it into Hebrew Gaza'.

Moshe Feiglin is banned from entering the United Kingdom due to a decision by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, made public in March 2008, excluding Moshe Feiglin on the grounds that his presence in the country "would not be conducive to the public good".

Moshe Feiglin was arrested for organizing mass acts of resistance and blocked highways across Israel during the period in which the Oslo accords were debated and implemented.

Moshe Feiglin was charged with "break[ing] the barrier of obedience to the rule of law" and incitement to commit crimes.

Moshe Feiglin is a highly vocal supporter of Jonathan Pollard, a former American naval intelligence analyst who formerly served a sentence in the American Federal prison system for spying for Israel.

Moshe Feiglin, who has called Pollard a hero, has written a number of articles in support of Pollard.

Moshe Feiglin referred to US Vice President Joseph Biden as a "diseased leper" in a 2010 op-ed column published by Israel's third-largest news outlet, Maariv.

Moshe Feiglin wrote an article in 2009 entitled "I Am A Proud Homophobe".

Moshe Feiglin has criticized some Christian supporters of Israel, such as Glenn Beck, and challenged the sincerity of Christians who have defended Israel, as well as Israeli Jews who supported Beck.

Moshe Feiglin said he had a "deep problem" with Efrat Chief Rabbi Shlomo Riskin participating as a featured speaker at a Christian prayer rally Glenn Beck organized at the Caesarea Amphitheater in Israel.