Tzvika Mor, Father of Former Hostage Eitan Mor, Joins the Religious Zionism Party

Tzvika Mor, chair of the "Tikvah Forum" and father of former hostage Eitan Mor, is officially joining the Religious Zionism party, after the sides reached final agreements regarding his integration into the party’s Knesset list. As part of the move, Mor is expected to receive a reserved spot near the top of the slate. The official announcement of Mor’s joining is expected to be delivered at a press conference that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will convene this afternoon.

Mor’s entry marks the transition of one of the most prominent public figures of the war period into the political system. Over the months of fighting, Mor became a leading voice in the public conversation, in part because of his work as chair of the "Tikvah Forum" and because of his public struggle while his son, Eitan Mor, was held captive by Hamas.

During that period, Mor led a firm and consistent line on how the war should be managed and how the hostages should be brought back. As part of his public activity, he opposed deals he described as partial or dangerous, and demanded advancing the war’s goals through the use of significant military pressure on Hamas. As chair of the forum, he presented the position that the fighting should continue until a clear victory is achieved and the terror organization’s capabilities are dismantled.

In one of his statements during the war, Mor called for a comprehensive deal: "We said from the very beginning — it is forbidden to talk with the Hamas terror organization; the only thing to do is hurt Hamas until they are interested in talking to us. That is what happened in the first deal in November 23; Hamas begged for a ceasefire. They were not prepared for such a severe blow, and they asked for a pause. Even now, we need to choke them completely, hit them over the head until they ask to stop."

A few months ago, it was reported that the Religious Zionism party had offered Mor to join its ranks. Following that report, the party responded: "Tzvika Mor is an exemplary figure whose heroism, strength of spirit, depth of character, and human greatness were revealed to the Israeli public during the war as a source of inspiration standing alongside the heroes of every generation. There is no doubt that he is worthy of any public role and of a place of honor in Israeli leadership. His values are the values of Religious Zionism, and there is no doubt that he can and should feel at home in it."