The Degel HaTorah party on Monday afternoon responded sharply to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statements rejecting remarks made by HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau regarding the Religious Zionist community.

The incident began when a video leaked on Sunday night of HaRav Landau meeting with Mir Rosh Yeshivah HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel and the yeshivah’s Mashgiach, HaRav Binyamin Finkel.

During the conversation, HaRav Landau said: “The reshaim are here—what can you do? There are reshaim, including among those who wear knitted kippahs, no less than the others. I’m talking about those in the knitted kippah community who insist on going if the state orders it. I would ask them, according to their own approach—which is no approach at all, according to their foolishness—if the state sends soldiers to war for the honor of the state and people are killed, is that also permitted? That is actual murder. They are inciting murder. They wage wars not only for survival, but for the honor of the state.”

Netanyahu then issued an official statement voicing his support for IDF soldiers, saying that “IDF soldiers-religious, secular, and Chareidim-leave their homes, work, and families and risk their lives in order to protect the state of Israel.”

It should be noted that HaRav Landau did not criticize IDF soldiers fighting to protect Israel but criticized false ideologies that place soldiers’ lives at risk for unjustified reasons according to the Torah.

In response, the Degel HaTorah party issued a statement declaring that “the words of the Gedolei Yisrael are the Kodesh HaKedoshim for Am Yisrael and we live by them. Those who do not live the Olam HaTorah and don’t understand the depth of their words would do well not to rush to interpret them, and certainly not to attack them. Beware of their burning coals.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)