National Religious Party

National Religious Party מפד"ל‎
Leader	Haim-Moshe Shapira Yosef Burg Zevulun Hammer Yitzhak Levy Effi Eitam Zevulun Orlev
Founded	1956
Dissolved	18 November 2008
Merger of	Hapoel HaMizrachi and Mizrachi
Merged into	The Jewish Home
Headquarters	Jerusalem, Israel
Newspaper	HaTzofe
Ideology	Religious Zionism Religious nationalism Religious conservatism Social conservatism Orthodox interests Settler interests Greater Israel[1][2]
Political position	1956–1960s: Center to center-left 1970s–1980s: Center-right to right-wing 1990s–2008: Right-wing
Most MKs	12
Fewest MKs	3 (2006)
Election symbol
Website
mafdal.org.il
Politics of Israel Political parties Elections

The National Religious Party (Hebrew: מִפְלָגָה דָּתִית לְאֻומִּית, Miflaga Datit Leumit, commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Mafdal, מפד"ל‎) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement.

Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second-oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992. Originally a pragmatic centrist party in its first two decades of existence, it gradually leaned rightward in the following years, particularly becoming increasingly associated with Israeli settlers. Towards the end of its existence, it became part of a far-right political alliance centered around the National Union.

The 2006 elections saw the party slump to just three seats, the worst electoral performance in its history. In November 2008, party members voted to disband the party in order to join the new Jewish Home party created by a merger of the NRP and most of the National Union factions. However, most of the National Union left the merger shortly after its implementation.