Senior rabbis from the Religious Zionist community issued a public warning on Monday against what they described as deliberate attempts to inflame tensions and sow division between Religious Zionists and the chareidi public, particularly surrounding the ongoing debate over military conscription.

In a letter signed by dozens of rabbis along with bereaved families, the authors cautioned that outside interests are exploiting the sensitive issue of the draft to pit one sector against another. “In recent times, parties with vested interests are trying to stir conflict between different groups in Israeli society, including between the chareidi public and the national camp,” the letter states.

The rabbis acknowledged that disagreements exist, including within the Religious Zionist camp itself, but stressed that these differences must not become a source of internal fracture. “It is no secret that there are ideological gaps and disagreements on the issue of conscription between different streams within the national camp,” they wrote, adding, “We will continue to discuss and argue, but we will do so as loving brothers.”

They further warned that political maneuvering around the draft issue could have broader consequences, cautioning that “the attempt to dismantle the national camp and the right-wing government under the pretext of the ‘draft law’ is falling into a trap.”

Alongside the warning, the rabbis voiced support for the proposed draft legislation, saying that in its current form it has the potential to significantly increase enlistment from the chareidi sector. They wrote that the bill could result in “triple the number of chareidim being drafted into the IDF in a way that will ease the burden on reserve soldiers and strengthen the IDF.”

The letter described chareidi backing for the legislation as a rare opportunity, stating, “The chareidi agreement to the law is a historic opportunity that must not be missed.” The rabbis concluded by expressing support for political leadership on the right, saying, “We strengthen the hands of the leaders of the camp to continue leading the right-wing government for many more years.”

{Matzav.com}