Comments by one of the Israeli regime’s most senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis, suggesting that Jewish people might have been better off without a state, have triggered a severe political controversy just weeks before the upcoming parliamentary elections. In footage broadcast by Channel 12, 96-year-old Rabbi Dov Lando asserted that soldiers adhering to religious nationalism who died in combat were allegedly paying the price for a distorted curriculum taught by their spiritual mentors. He further claimed that many military operations are executed not for the preservation of life, but for the prestige of the state apparatus.

The reemergence of these remarks highlights the deeply divisive issue of military conscription for ultra-Orthodox seminary students, which has become a central fault line in Israeli politics following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that invalidated traditional exemptions. The current Israeli regime has repeatedly failed to pass legislation restoring these privileges, igniting widespread societal friction. Analysts observe that the dispute has transformed into a fundamental test of the social contract regarding who bears the burden of service, who dies in conflicts, and who secures political exemptions and financial backing.

The controversy places Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a precarious position, as his governing coalition heavily relies on ultra-Orthodox factions like the United Torah Judaism alliance, despite their inherently non-Zionist positions. Political observers note that Netanyahu’s calculated silence is aimed at preserving his fragile parliamentary majority, even as opposition leaders weaponize the remarks to argue that the premier remains dependent on figures who fundamentally question the legitimacy of the Zionist project itself.

Source: www.aljazeera.com