In his research paper, “The Redemptive Movement in Israel after October 7, 2023 (Al-Aqsa Flood): Discourse and Influence,” issued by the Zaytouna Center for Studies and Consultations, researcher Dr. Saleh Al-Naami deconstructs the profound transformation that befell society and politics in Israel after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, not only at the level of security and war, but also at the level of the rise of the redemptive religious movement and its transformation from an influential political partner to a force seeking to redefine the state, society, and the conflict itself.
The paper does not deal with the redemptive movement as merely an extremist religious current within “religious Zionism,” but rather as an integrated ideological project that sees the Gaza war and its aftermath as not just a political or military confrontation, but rather a “redemptive moment” that allows for the reshaping of Israel and the region according to Biblical religious perceptions. That is why Al-Naami attempts to trace the intellectual roots of this movement, the mechanisms of its penetration of the Israeli elites, and the way in which it exploited the “Al-Aqsa Flood” to expand its influence within the state, the army, and society.
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What is the salvation current?
Through the study, it can be concluded that the “salvation trend” according to Dr. Saleh Al-Naami is: a Jewish religious movement that believes that the establishment of Israel, settlement, control of the “entire Land of Israel,” and war are all stages within a religious process aimed at accelerating “salvation” and creating the conditions for the appearance of the Savior, the construction of the Third Temple, and the transformation of Israel into a biblical state.
The researcher distinguishes this current from traditional secular Zionism and the classical Haredi movement that rejects Zionism in the first place
The redemptive trend combines: Jewish religious belief, political action, settlement, infiltration of state institutions, and the use of military force as tools to achieve “salvation.”
He also explains that this trend was mainly formed by: the followers of Rabbi Avraham Kook, then the school of his son Zvi Yehuda Kook, and then the settlement movements such as “Gush Emunim.” Then it extended to sectors within “religious Zionism” and some Haredi circles such as “Chabad.”
The fundamental idea that the researcher is trying to highlight is that this trend does not see politics as separate from theology, but rather considers the state, the army, settlement, and war to be religious tools within a divine, historical path.
From “religious Zionism” to the idea of salvation
The researcher returns to the intellectual transformations that led to the formation of the redemptive movement within Judaism and Zionism. Traditional Judaism believed that returning to the “Promised Land” must wait for the coming of the Savior, and therefore the majority of Jewish religious authorities rejected the Zionist project at its beginning. But this position began to change with Rabbi Yaakov Reines, who justified support for Zionism with political and security considerations related to solving the “Jewish problem” and confronting anti-Semitism.
However, the most dangerous transformation, according to the study, came with Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who gave Zionism itself a redemptive religious meaning. In his view, the rise of Israel was not only a political event, but the beginning of a divine path to achieve Jewish salvation. Here the idea of two stages emerged: a material stage in which the state is established, and a spiritual stage in which Israel is transformed into a “lawful state,” the Third Temple is built, and the “savior” comes.
The paper explains that this vision did not remain just a religious interpretation, but rather later turned into a complete political, settlement and military program, especially after the 1967 war, which Cook’s followers considered evidence of the truthfulness of biblical prophecies and the beginning of the actual process of “salvation.”
Hence the idea of the “Complete Land of Israel” was born, which goes beyond the borders of historical Palestine to expansionist visions that include large parts of the Arab region.
Settlement as an “act of salvation”
One of the most important points in the study is that the settlement project was not just a security or expansionist policy, but rather a redemptive religious practice in the consciousness of this movement. That is why the “Gush Emunim” movement became the implementing arm for the idea of ”accelerating redemption” through settlement in the occupied territories after 1967.
Al-Naami believes that the importance of the settlement project does not lie only in controlling the land, but rather in the fact that it gave the Messianic movement an independent social and ideological depth, and allowed it to emerge from the margins of “religious Zionism” to directly influence public Israeli affairs.
This discourse also succeeded in influencing even some of the Haredi movements that were historically hostile to Zionism, especially within Chabad, where there was a consensus around the idea of the necessity of human intervention to accelerate the coming of the Savior, rather than passively waiting for salvation. Thus, what the study calls the “Salvationist Movement” was formed as a broader umbrella than just a specific party or movement.
How did the Salvationist movement plan to penetrate the state?
The study reveals that the Salvationist movement did not rely solely on popular or electoral expansion, but rather worked systematically to infiltrate the Israeli elites, especially the army, security services, judiciary, and politics.
Al-Naami dwells at length on the ideas of Rabbi Isaac Ginsberg, who formulated what he called “the theory of the four-shelled nut,” in which he considered that the secular state institutions – the media, the judiciary, the government, and even the army – must be gradually reshaped in preparation for transforming Israel into a biblical state.
But the irony, as the study shows, is that the army was not viewed as an institution that needed to be completely demolished, but rather as a tool that could be controlled and redirected. This is why the Salvationist movement focused largely on infiltrating combat units and military and security command centers.
“The army invasion”… the most important project of the Salvationist movement
One of the most interesting parts of the study relates to the infiltration of the Israeli army. The Salvationist movement realized early on that controlling military decisions gave it influence that far exceeded its true demographic size. That is why, in the 1980s, he began an organized project to send his youth to combat units and military schools.
The paper devotes a large amount of space to Rabbi Eli Sadan, founder of the “Bnei David” military religious school in the “Eli” settlement, who explicitly declared that the goal was “to storm the army, the Shin Bet, the Mossad, and the police.” This project has succeeded remarkably; The representation of followers of the Salvationist movement among army officers increased from 2.5% to about 40% in less than three decades, even though their population percentage does not exceed 12%.
The study provides a long list of senior officers and leaders of security services who belong to this movement, including Shin Bet commanders, field commanders responsible for managing the war in Gaza and the West Bank, and commanders of central military brigades and regions.
Al-Naami believes that this breakthrough is no longer just a symbolic presence, but rather has turned into an actual ability to influence the Israeli combat doctrine, the nature of dealing with the Palestinians, and even the definition of the meaning of the war itself.
“The Al-Aqsa Flood”… the moment of great mobilization
The study considers that October 7th represented a turning point for the Salvationist movement. The Palestinian attack, despite its security shock, created a psychological and social environment more receptive to extremist religious discourse within Israel.
The paper indicates that after the war, large sectors of Israelis turned towards religiosity and search for religious explanations for the crisis, while the salvationist movement exploited this moment to present the war as a “battle of existence” or even a “battle of salvation.”
In this context, the speech of figures such as Bezalel Smotrich emerged, who explicitly called for ignoring “realistic calculations” and dealing with the war with an absolute logic of faith. It even went so far as to invoke biblical narratives about “wiping out the Amalekites” to justify the genocide in Gaza.
The study believes that the danger of this speech does not lie only in its extremism, but rather in the fact that it comes from figures who occupy central positions within the government, the army, and religious institutions that influence soldiers and society.
From war to the reshaping of Israel
The paper does not stop at the limits of the influence of the Salvationist Movement on the Gaza War, but rather sees that the project is much broader than that. For this movement, the war is an opportunity to reshape Israel itself: politically, legally, and socially.
Therefore, the study links the rise in the influence of the Salvationist movement to:
Pushing towards the annexation of the West Bank. Changing the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Increasing the abuse of Palestinian prisoners. Expanding settlements and attempts to reformulate the Israeli judiciary and institutions in a way that reduces restrictions on the executive authority and the religious movement.
Al-Naami believes that the Salvationist movement is no longer content with influencing within the state, but is now seeking to transform the state itself into a tool for implementing its ideological project.
Israel is more religious…and more violent
In conclusion, the researcher warns that the growing influence of the Messianic movement will lead to dangerous transformations within Israel and the region. Under the influence of this trend, Israel becomes more inclined to use excessive and disproportionate force, and more willing to legitimize genocide, collective punishment, and settlement expansion in the name of religion and salvation.
He also believes that this trend is gradually succeeding in moving Israeli society from the logic of “conflict management” to the logic of “resolving the conflict” in a religious and existential manner, which makes any future political settlement more difficult and complex.
In other words, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” not only changed the form of the war between the Palestinians and Israel, but rather relaunched a religious-political project within Israel that sees the war itself as a step on the path to “salvation.”
