A new study has found that Israel\u2019s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion relied more heavily on religious and historical references in his wartime speeches than current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, challenging a common perception about the growing influence of religion in right-wing political discourse.<\/p>\n
The study, conducted by Dr. Gila Amati and Shlomi Breznick of the Glazer Center at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), analyzed roughly 120 public speeches\u201433 delivered by Ben-Gurion during Israel\u2019s War of Independence (May 1948\u2013July 1949) and 97 given by Netanyahu during the war in Gaza, including Operation Rising Lion (October 2023\u2013June 2025).<\/p>\n
The findings reveal that Ben-Gurion referenced biblical or rabbinic texts in 79% of his speeches, compared to 58% in Netanyahu\u2019s. These ranged from short expressions such as \u201cingathering of exiles\u201d and \u201ceternity of Israel,\u201d to longer biblical quotations.<\/p>\n
Ben-Gurion also mentioned the Holocaust in 27% of his wartime addresses, while Netanyahu did so in 22%. Speaking just a few years after the Holocaust, Ben-Gurion often invoked the six million Jews murdered, the Nazis and Adolf Hitler, to frame Israel\u2019s existential struggle. While Netanyahu also draws on Holocaust imagery, the study shows he does so slightly less frequently.<\/p>\n
When it comes to citing Jewish historical figures, Ben-Gurion again led\u2014referring to Moses, Joshua, Bar Kokhba and the Hasmoneans in 42% of his speeches, compared to 24% in Netanyahu\u2019s. References to key events in Jewish history, like the Exodus or the Spanish Expulsion, appeared in 52% of Ben-Gurion’s wartime speeches versus just 12% in Netanyahu\u2019s.<\/p>\n
However, Netanyahu surpasses Ben-Gurion in invoking personal religious faith. Phrases such as \u201cwith God\u2019s help\u201d and \u201cmay God avenge their blood\u201d appeared in 59% of Netanyahu\u2019s speeches, nearly three times more than Ben-Gurion\u2019s 21%. While Ben-Gurion preferred terms like \u201cTzur Yisrael,\u201d he also occasionally used phrases like \u201cin God\u2019s image\u201d or \u201cthe Holy One, blessed be He.\u201d<\/p>\n
The researchers concluded that, contrary to popular belief, Netanyahu\u2019s wartime rhetoric is not more religious or Holocaust-centered than Ben-Gurion\u2019s. Instead, they say, Netanyahu leans more on expressions of personal faith, while Ben-Gurion\u2019s language was deeply rooted in Jewish history and scripture\u2014despite being a secular socialist leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone can notice that Netanyahu frequently says \u2018with God\u2019s help,\u2019 and some have assumed this is aimed at a more traditional audience,” Dr. Amati commented. “But our findings show that religious rhetoric has long been embedded in Israeli political discourse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breznick noted that one challenge was parsing phrases with dual meanings: \u201cTerms like \u2018redemption\u2019 or \u2018ingathering of exiles\u2019 can be interpreted as religious or secular. We used AI analysis and then manual review to classify them according to context and usage.\u201d<\/p>\n