Traditionalizing Israeli Nationalism: The Development of Gush Emunim

In the period following the 1993 Yom Kippur War, a new movement has gained increasing popular support in Israel. Called Gush Emunim ("The bloc of the faithful"), the movement presents an irredentist stance vis-a-vis the west Bank (Judea and Samaria) and other "administered territories" (The Sinai, the Gaza strip, the Golan Heights). The focus of Gush’s activities has been the establishment of Jewish settlements in these territories, "beyond the green line." The settlements were founded with volunteered labor and without the consent of the (then-) labour government.