# The Biblical Bloc: what they've published Close Read, episode 24. The Biblical Bloc (גוש התנ"כי), list 24, ballot letters יק. Published October 14, 2026. Israel's Knesset election is on October 27, 2026. - Page: https://closeread.show/israel-2026/biblical-bloc/ - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSooFm6ROQ - Audio: https://media.closeread.show/audio/closeread-024-biblical-bloc-88bf8f74.mp3 The Biblical Bloc's website hasn't been updated since the 2022 election. This year, its founder, Dennis Lipkin, has been laying out the party's goals in videos on his own YouTube channel, and those videos are most of what this episode covers. [S4](#source-s4)[S6](#source-s6) ## Who is The Biblical Bloc? The election committee lists it as Gahat, the Biblical Bloc, with the letters yod kuf, יק. Dennis Lipkin is first of four candidates. The committee approved the list on September 27. [S1](#source-s1)[S2](#source-s2)[S3](#source-s3) ## What has The Biblical Bloc published? There's no new platform for this election. The party's website still shows eight principles, last updated in October 2022, with the candidates for that year's election. I'll mention them where they apply and say each time that they're from 2022. [S4](#source-s4)[S5](#source-s5) The current material is Lipkin speaking in English on his YouTube channel: a party "Election update" posted May 8, and weekly updates through September. I transcribed them by machine, so the quotes still need a check against the audio. [S6](#source-s6)[S7](#source-s7)[S8](#source-s8)[S9](#source-s9) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about security and foreign policy? On territory, Lipkin said in May, "we have borders that God promised us, we do not move from those borders," and he called giving land back for peace, the Oslo approach, a "complete disaster." In the same video he said the Torah sets borders "from the Nile to the Euphrates." [S6](#source-s6) On Lebanon, he said that while Hezbollah is in control, "we will never leave Lebanon." On September 1 he said "Gaza should be part of Israel," and called southern Lebanon becoming part of Israel his "personal opinion." [S6](#source-s6)[S7](#source-s7) The 2022 website opposes any territorial concessions "after the tragic mistakes" in Gaza and northern Samaria. [S4](#source-s4) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about accountability for October 7? I couldn't find a stated position on October 7 accountability or a commission of inquiry in the material I reviewed. [S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about the economy and the cost of living? On the economy, the only item is from the 2022 website: attracting investors from around the world, "especially Jews and Christians," to build Israel's economic infrastructure. I found nothing current on the economy or the cost of living. [S4](#source-s4)[S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about housing? On housing, I found nothing published in the material I reviewed. [S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about religion and state? On the Haredi draft, he said in May, "I support, of course, encouraging and increasing the participation of the ultra-Orthodox in the Israeli army." He didn't describe a law or a quota. [S6](#source-s6) On September 22 he said ultra-Orthodox rabbis "have a total monopoly on everything," and called the party's cause "a question of freedom of religion." He didn't name a specific change to religious law. [S9](#source-s9) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about the judiciary and governance? I couldn't find a stated position on the courts or how government is run in the material I reviewed. [S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about education? I found no position on education. [S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about health? Nothing on health either. [S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about social welfare, pensions and the elderly? There's nothing published on welfare, pensions, or the elderly that I could find. [S11](#source-s11) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about Arab citizens and minorities? On minorities, the party's pitch is representation for Christians and Messianic Jews, and Lipkin said in May that it's the only party with Christian and Messianic candidates. One of this year's four candidates is an Arab Christian. [S6](#source-s6)[S8](#source-s8) The 2022 website says the party opposes what it calls "ethnic cleansing" of Jews and Christians from the Land of Israel, including Christians from Arabic speaking areas. [S4](#source-s4) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about immigration, absorption and the diaspora? Immigration is his biggest theme. In May he said, "we need 10 million immigrants coming to Israel," and that if Jews have to flee with their Christian spouses and children, "we must welcome them." [S6](#source-s6) On the Law of Return, he said rabbis who would limit it to children of Jewish mothers are "trying to eliminate the law of return," and "this has to be fixed." [S6](#source-s6) The 2022 website adds encouraging the return of about three million Jews who left Israel, and absorbing victims of terror abroad as immigrants under the Law of Return. [S4](#source-s4) ## What does The Biblical Bloc say about the environment, energy and transportation? On the environment, energy, and transportation, I found nothing published. [S11](#source-s11) ## What The Biblical Bloc puts front and center What the party puts front and center is a political alliance of Jews and Christians. The 2022 website proposes a "Bible Bloc International," based in Jerusalem, and a worldwide public diplomacy program with Jewish and Christian speakers. [S4](#source-s4)[S6](#source-s6) In the May video he also said, "God is against abortion, God is against LGBT," without describing any legislation. [S6](#source-s6) ## What The Biblical Bloc hasn't published So the current positions come from one founder speaking in his own videos, and the written principles are from 2022. On October 7, housing, the courts, education, health, welfare, and the environment, I couldn't find a stated position in the material I reviewed. [S11](#source-s11) ## Chapters - 0:00 Intro - 0:20 About this series - 0:47 Who they are - 1:00 What they've published - 1:33 Security and foreign policy - 2:20 October 7, Economy - 2:45 Housing, Religion and state - 3:19 Courts and governance, Education: no stated position - 3:35 Welfare, Arab citizens - 4:16 Immigration, absorption, and diaspora - 5:07 What they put front and center - 5:39 What's missing ## Sources - S1: [CEC page for "גה"ת, גוש התנ"כי", submitted by the Gahat party; four candidates (ליפקין דניס, קל ברכה, חווא חנא, פרידמן בנימין דוד); ballot slip יק](https://www.gov.il/he/pages/gush-tanachi_list24) (Official list page, Hebrew, Arabic on slip, published 2026-09-08, updated 2026-09-29) - S2: [Index of all 38 submitted lists; row יק, list 24](https://www.gov.il/he/pages/candidates-lists-26) (CEC index, Hebrew, published Index page, updated 2026-09-30) - S3: [Ynet: the CEC approved the 38 lists and letters, including "יק" for this list. Used only to confirm approval](https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1ibdii5fe) (News report of a CEC decision, Hebrew, published 2026-09-27) - S4: [ght.org.il home page, Hebrew and English: "מטרות מוצהרות" / "Our 8 principles" and the candidate block for the November 1 (2022) election. Last modified 2022-10-07](https://www.ght.org.il/) (Party website, Hebrew, English, published 2019 to 2022) - S5: [Party number 59-900113-8, registered 2018; goals filed with the Registrar, identical in wording to the Hebrew principles on S4. Used to authenticate S4 and to date the registration](https://www.gov.il/he/departments/dynamiccollectors/parties-db?skip=0&Name=%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A9%20%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%A0) (Registrar of Parties entry, Hebrew, published Registered 2018; page updated 2021-12-07) - S6: ["Bible Bloc Party Election update #1 \| 2026": party Zoom meeting hosted by candidate 2, Bracha Kal; Lipkin on the party's aims, then questions (71 min 41 s)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ieYLdy4xO8) (Video, party leader's YouTube channel, English, published 2026-05-08) - S7: ["Avi Lipkin's Middle East Update", Sept 1 (title misdated 2027): Gaza and Lebanon (53 min)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svJPDpX1vPg) (Video, party leader's YouTube channel, English, published 2026-09-01) - S8: ["Avi Lipkin's Middle East update", Sept 15: the four submitted candidates, including Benny Friedman, son of the late David Friedman (62 min). Re-uploaded unchanged on Sept 29 (avt7orycahI)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVP0VUvjg2o) (Video, party leader's YouTube channel, English, published 2026-09-15) - S9: ["Avi Lipkin's Middle East update", Sept 22: the party's cause as "freedom of religion" (60 min)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6llTCbWZNE) (Video, party leader's YouTube channel, English, published 2026-09-22) - S10: [Channel 14, ice.co.il and MigNews on the filing: the party's representative presented four candidates and said one had died. None names the person. Not cited in the script](https://www.c14.co.il/article/1695799) (News articles, Hebrew, Russian, published 2026-09-08) - S11: Every query, account and retrieval attempt, 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-02, in Hebrew, English, Russian and Arabic (Research log, Several, published n/a)