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“The War of the Torah”: The Israeli Religious Peace Movements’ Struggle for Legitimation

October 30, 2001 | Gerald Cromer

Since the Six-Day War, religious Zionism has been increasing ly identified with the ideology of the Complete Land of Israel (Er etz Yisrael Hashlema). The maximalist stance on the territorial issue has become depoliticized and achieved a taken-for-granted status. The religious peace movements have interpreted privileged texts and politicized the annual cycle of festivals in an attempt to break this ideological hegemony and to show that their more dovish stance is also grounded in an authentic reading of Jewish tradition. However, they have failed to create the cultural resonance that is an essential prerequisite for success.