Theology and Politics in Gush Emunim: Using the Bible to Reshape the Land

After the 1973 War, a protest arose in Israel against the return of territories occupied in 1967 to the Arab States.

Groups of faithful asked for the re-establishment of ancient Israel borders as narrated in the Bible, giving birth to the religious-fundamentalist and ultra-rightist extra-parliamentary movement of Gush Emunim, meaning “the bloc of the faithful.” It formally operated between 1974, when it was recognized as an ideological group within the National Religious Party, and 1985, when the involvement of some members in the Jewish Underground terrorist group led to its dissolution as an organization.

Although Gush Emunim was officially an organization for only a decade, its political actions and ideology have significantly influenced the events unfolding in the occupied territories from 1967 to the present.

The project “Theology and Politics in Gush Emunim: Using the Bible to Reshape the Land” (TheoPolis) aims to offer a comprehensive and innovative investigation of how Gush Emunim used narratives, histories, characters, names, and geographical indications from the Bible and the Maccabees traditions to constitute a theological framework for implementing political actions.

Through a careful analysis of discourse in the form of speeches, rabbinic teachings, and pamphlets from the group and its leaders, along with coverage in Israel newspapers, TheoPolis will explore how Gush Emunim selected and interpreted specific sections of the Bible and the Maccabees Books to carry on its political goals and will actively contribute to an urgent international and European need, which is the understanding of religious fundamentalism and sectarianism in Israel and the West Bank, besides the spread of messianic ideologies, since they profoundly influence the equilibrium of the world politics.

Through a close investigation of primary and secondary sources, the project will shed light on radical ideologies that still today hinder the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.