Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday strongly condemned former Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s statement that even ultra-Orthodox men who are not studying in yeshiva should not serve in the Israel Defense Forces.
The rabbi’s words are “unacceptable and worthy of all condemnation,” said the PMO, adding, “we will not accept expressions of insubordination from any side.”
Yosef, a senior figure in the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, which is a member of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, sparked national outrage by saying in remarks made public on Sunday that “it is forbidden to go to the army, even for one who is idle.”
The remark comes amid a heated national debate in the country over the exemptions from military service given to ultra-Orthodox men, as the war against Hamas in Gaza enters its 15th month.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the rabbi’s comments, tweeting, “Service in the IDF is a tremendous privilege.” The military, he continued, “belongs to all of us. Any harm to it constitutes a harm to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the former chief rabbi had crossed a “red line.”
“A call for draft evasion during wartime, especially from someone who once received a state salary in an official capacity, crosses a red line,” tweeted Lapid. “It endangers democracy and undermines our future.”
The 72-year-old Yosef, who is the son of Shas founder Ovadia Yosef, has a history of controversial remarks.
Earlier this year, the rabbi declared that if the ultra-Orthodox are forced to enlist in the military, they will leave the country to avoid doing so.
Last year, he opined that secular Jews who eat non-Kosher food “get stupid.”
