By Al HaMashmaut · Israel's national Zionist lobby
Intervention Force. Taking the power into our own hands.
Every special interest has a lobbyist in the Knesset. As of today, so do you.
Why now
For years we accepted that activism and lobbying in the corridors of power belong to one side only. While special interests and socialist, progressive organisations push regulation that makes life more expensive for everyone, the voice of Israel's Zionist, free-market public stayed outside the room.
Laws are not born with a minister or a Knesset member. They are born in the infrastructure: who sits in the committee, who writes the position paper, who is coordinated with the civil service. For years that infrastructure belonged to one side.
Left-wing NGOs arrive at every hearing with salaried staff, funded by foreign governments and foundations. The national camp's civil society has run on volunteers, out of pocket, on goodwill.
Knesset members and ministers said it from the stage at the launch: without civil society backing them inside the hall, standing up to the bureaucracy and organised NGOs is ten times harder.
Come, because we need you. Not because you want to be there – we must have you there. You are part of our strength.
MK Tzvika Fogel, chair of the National Security Committee in the 25th Knesset, at the launch
The method
We founded Koach Hitarvut so that you have a fighting force on the ground: a professional team inside Knesset committees that dismantles bureaucrats' position papers, blocks bad laws and represents you with pride.
Professionals who attend hearings, submit position papers, get on the record and speak for the public – in every committee where decisions about your life are made.
Critical reading of the papers submitted by ministries and legal advisers, correcting the facts, and presenting the data the civil service forgot to bring.
From getting a harmful temporary order withdrawn within fifteen minutes to drafting full bills together with Knesset members.
A research team that reads things with common sense and brings to the committee the people who know reality from the inside: doctors, lawyers, insurance agents, teachers.
For the first time, a lobbying body attached to a media outlet with an audience of hundreds of thousands. Whoever doesn't listen to us in committee will hear about it on the podcast.
One issue, in depth, to the end. A Knesset member juggles eleven things at once; we don't let go.
Areas of action
Each area is led by a board member who knows it from the inside – not as a commentator, but as someone who lives it.
Free markets, regulation that raises the cost of living, and technology the state keeps from us – from autonomous driving to competition in services.
Citizens' right to defend themselves and their children, firearms licensing, and backing for soldiers.
Jewish identity in the curriculum, identity subjects – history, Bible and literature – as core subjects, and the IDF's code of ethics.
Returning legislative authority to elected representatives, popular sovereignty, and the Jewish Identity Law.
Evidence-based medicine, a real prevention budget, and the tens of billions of public shekels wasted on treatments that don't work.
The team
A board of professionals, each of whom has already led a public campaign alone – now doing it together, with infrastructure.
Founder · Head of Economy
Founder and host of the podcast Al HaMashmaut ("On Meaning") – a philosophical-political channel with more than 700 episodes that grew from a zero budget into one of the most influential media outlets on the Israeli right. An incorrigible capitalist, and proof that you can build an institution without waiting for anyone's permission.
Head of Personal Security
Lawyer, social activist and member of the Zichron Yaakov local council. A fighter, past and present. She led the campaign for women's right to defend themselves – and won: after a year and a half of work in the National Security Committee, firearms-licence criteria were extended to those who served in roles of a combat nature.
Head of Education and Ethics
Publicist, educator and social activist. Writes for Mida and Makor Rishon, lectures at pre-military academies, and runs the blog "Thus Spoke Kopel". Believes that downstream of culture and philosophy lies the sacred moment of legislation – and that abstract values must become concrete through the legislature.
Head of Legislation
Researcher of geostrategy, foreign policy and public policy. One of the leading voices against UNRWA and for popular sovereignty. She exposed that Knesset members have no legislative permissions in the Knesset's own computerised system, and leads the campaign to restore them. Helped draft the Jewish Identity Law.
Head of Medicine
Senior orthopaedic surgeon, head of orthopaedics at the Terem network and formerly chief orthopaedist of Maccabi Healthcare. A pain doctor who read the basic research they don't teach in medical school – and has fought ever since to bring scientific evidence into a system that spends 100 billion shekels a year, only 0.4% of it on prevention.
The people who sit in the committees, write the position papers and run the campaigns – every day.
Yehuda LivnerResearch team
Yehuda SchwartzmanResearch team
Hadar StrulResearch team
Michael PasinResearch team
Stav RotActivism team
Itamar CohenDigital teamAlready in action
The organisation launched officially in September 2026, but its people have been at work for years. A few examples told from the stage:
After a year and a half of appearances in the National Security Committee, position papers and persuading the legal advisers – those who served in a role of a combat nature, such as female field observers, are now eligible for a civilian firearms licence.
Two weeks after the massacre, a ten-hour hearing added a temporary order that would have voided everyone's firearms licences after a year. Immediate media pressure that same evening – and the order was dropped.
Helping MK Galit Distel draft a law that sets a simple principle: no power of the state may be used to prevent a person from being Jewish.
Podcast criticism of the delay in bringing autonomous driving to Israel prompted the ministry's spokesperson to reach out unprompted: "Give me the specifics and I'll handle it." That is what a lobby attached to a media outlet looks like.
The agenda
At the end of the launch, each board member was asked which single change they would achieve through work in the Knesset. These are the answers – and this is our agenda.
The people elected to legislate cannot press the button themselves – it sits with the legal advisers. The Knesset Speaker can fix this with a single directive, before the 26th Knesset convenes.
Preventing a disease costs a fifth of treating it. Moving the budget would take the current system apart and rebuild it – around the public's health, not the experts' livelihood.
Together with cross-party surplus-vote agreements – so that elections stop being a casino of wasted votes.
Change the DNA of the code of ethics through the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, and treat history, Bible and literature the way we treat maths and English.
Whoever enters the Knesset should understand that the power belongs to the public, and that Knesset members work for us – not the other way round. And a deep reform of the army our sons are going into.
Call to action
This fight is funded by the public alone. No government budget, no tycoon, no foreign foundation. There is you.
A monthly standing order – 20, 50 or 200 shekels – is what turns a team of volunteers into a salaried team sitting in the Knesset every day. 100% of your donation reaches the cause, 0% fees, and it is tax-deductible in Israel under section 46.
Join and supportEach of you knows a few people who share these values and would be glad to take part. Send them this page.
ShareDemand that Knesset members receive legislative permissions in the Knesset system ahead of the 26th Knesset. No law or bylaw is needed – only a directive from the Speaker. A ready-to-copy letter is below.
Copy the letterRegistering for a Knesset committee hearing takes two minutes on the Knesset website. Pick one topic, learn it in depth, submit a position paper – and don't let go.
Knesset websiteBig investigations start with a citizen's video. Seen something someone should know about? Tell us.
WhatsAppDoctors, lawyers, insurance agents, teachers, people on the ground – the research team needs those who know reality from the inside, not only from the studies.
Join the research team27 October 2026. We have a majority; the only question is whether it reaches the ballot box. Take your city, your neighbourhood, your family – and make sure no vote is lost.
To the Speaker of the Knesset, I write as a citizen who expects elected representatives to be able to do their job. Today, in the Knesset's computerised legislation system, Knesset members themselves have no permissions to submit and advance legislation – those permissions rest with the legal advisers alone. This is inconsistent with Basic Law: The Knesset and with the Knesset bylaws, under which legislative authority belongs to Knesset members. I ask that you direct, before the 26th Knesset convenes, that Knesset members be granted full legislative permissions in the system. No law or bylaw amendment is required – an administrative directive of the Speaker suffices. Respectfully, [Full name], [City]
The launch event
The launch conference of Koach Hitarvut took place in Shiloh on the eve of the Jewish new year (September 2026), with Knesset members, ministers, journalists and heads of civil-society organisations. The full event – almost three hours, in Hebrew – is available to watch.
An activist can be more influential than the average Knesset member. It is possible, and it happens.
MK Simcha Rothman
We have three jobs: legislation, oversight and representation. You can do all three – and in some ways better than Knesset members.
MK Amit Halevi
The greater power is actually with those outside the arena: no legal adviser restrains us, and there is no coalition discipline.
Adv. Odelia Kedmi
Moderated by Renana Meir Cohen
Moderated by Ziv Maor
Moderated by Tal Luria, founder of Teachers Leading Change
