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.46
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 27.123
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 2022.45
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.6789
The Biblical Bloc's positions, topic by topic
The same twelve topics, in the same order, for every party. Where nothing was published, the episode says so.
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."6
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."67
The 2022 website opposes any territorial concessions "after the tragic mistakes" in Gaza and northern Samaria.4
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.11
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.411
What every party says about the economy and the cost of living
What does The Biblical Bloc say about housing?
On housing, I found nothing published in the material I reviewed.11
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.6
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.9
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.11
What does The Biblical Bloc say about education?
I found no position on education.11
What does The Biblical Bloc say about health?
Nothing on health either.11
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.11
What every party says about social welfare, pensions and the elderly
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.68
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.4
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."6
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."6
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.4
What every party says about immigration, absorption and the diaspora
What does The Biblical Bloc say about the environment, energy and transportation?
On the environment, energy, and transportation, I found nothing published.11
What every party says about the environment, energy and transportation
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.46
In the May video he also said, "God is against abortion, God is against LGBT," without describing any legislation.6
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.11
Sources
Everything above comes from what The Biblical Bloc made public: its platform, website and official accounts, and on-the-record statements by its leaders. Each line was checked against a saved copy of its source. Most sources are in Hebrew.
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- S11Every query, account and retrieval attempt, 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-02, in Hebrew, English, Russian and Arabic
Transcript
The words as spoken in the episode, from its captions. Select a time to listen from there.
Full transcript
Intro
the biblical blocks website hasn't been updated since the 2022 election this year its founder dennis lipkin has been laying out the party goals in videos on his own youtube channel and those videos are what most of this episode covers this is close read and this is a series about what israel's parties are promising to do in
About this series
their own published words for english-speaking voters ahead of the october 27th election one party per episode i only use the party itself has made public their platform their website their official accounts and on the record statements by their leaders if they didn't publish it it doesn't count and if they publish nothing that's the episode the election committee listed as gahat the biblical block with the letters yod kuf yod kuf dennis lipkin is
Who they are
first of four candidates the committee approved the list on september 27th there's no new platform for this election the party's website still shows eight principles
What they've published
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 the current material is lipkin speaking in english on his youtube channel a party election update posted may 8th and the weekly updates through september i transcribe them by machine so the quotes still need a check against the audio if you're interested on territory lipkin said in may quote we have borders that god promised us we do not move
Security and foreign policy
from those borders end quote and he called giving land back for peace the oslo approach a quote complete disaster end quote in the same video he said the tourist that's borders quote from the nile to the euphrates end quote on lebanon he said that while hezbollah is in control quote we will never leave lebanon end quote on september 1st he said quote gaza should be part of israel end quote and called southern lebanon becoming part of israel his quote personal opinion end quote the 2022 website opposes any territorial concessions quote after the tragic mistakes in gaza and northern samaria i couldn't find a stated position on october 7th accountability or a commission of inquiry in the material i reviewed on the
October 7, Economy
economy the only item is the 2022 website attracting investors from around the world quote especially jews and christians to build israel's economic infrastructure i found nothing current on the economy or the cost of living on housing i found nothing published in the material i reviewed on the haredi draft he said in may quote i support
Housing, Religion and state
of course encouraging and increasing the participation of the ultra-orthodox in the israeli army end quote he didn't describe a law or a quota on september 22nd he said ultra-orthodox rabbis have quote a total monopoly on everything end quote and called the party's cause a question of freedom of religion he didn't name a specific change to religious law i couldn't find a stated position on the courts or how government is run in the material i reviewed i found no
Courts and governance, Education: no stated position
position of his or of the parties on education and i found no position of his or of the parties on the topic of health care either there's nothing published insofar as i could find on welfare on the topic of
Welfare, Arab citizens
pensions or on the topic of the elderly 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 the 2022 website says the party opposes what it calls the ethnic cleansing of jews and christians from the land of israel including christians from arabic speaking areas immigration is his biggest theme in may he said quote we
Immigration, absorption, and diaspora
need 10 million immigrants coming to israel end quote and that if jews have to flee with their christian spouses and children quote we must welcome them on the law of return he said rabbis who would limit it to children of jewish mothers are quote trying to eliminate the law of return end quote and quote this has to be fixed end quote 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 on the topic of environment or the topic of energy or on transportation i found nothing published what the party puts front and center is a political alliance of jews and
What they put front and center
christians the 2022 website proposes a bible block international based in jerusalem and a worldwide public diplomacy program with jewish and christian speakers in the may video he also said quote god is against abortion god is against lgbt end quote without describing any legislation so the current positions come from one founder speaking in his own videos and the written principles are from 2022 on the topic of
What's missing
october 7th accountability housing the courts education health welfare and the environment i couldn't find a stated position in the material i reviewed that's what the biblical block has put on the record as of this recording every source i use is linked in the description in hebrew and in english so you can read them yourself if they publish more before the election i'll put an update in the comments next is list number 25 betach and the full playlist is linked below the close read is free to watch and to listen if you like to support it you will find me on patreon at patreon.com slash the close read linked in the description
