Middle East Monitor / December 10, 2022
Far-right Israel MK Moshe Gafni from the United Torah Judaism, who is to be part of the next Israeli government, asserted that half of Israelis should go into the army and the other half should study the Torah.
“When there were bloody wars during the reign of King David, a prophet came to him and said that half the people will study Torah and half will serve in the army, and then they will switch,” Gafni explained.
He proposed something similar to Israel: “There can’t be a Jewish state with no corps of Torah students.”
Explaining his idea, Gafni said: “Students at Ponevezh Yeshiva will go to the army, to combat roles, but bring high school students to study the Torah at the same time.”
This is the latest senior figure to be part of the next potential Israeli right-wing coalition government to recommend the adoption of laws based on biblical scriptures.
Gafni demands the legislation of a quasi-constitutional Basic Law that exempts religious students from enlisting in the army or an “improved” law that eliminates the current quota of religious students that have to enroll each year.
Former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army Gadi Eisenkot said these remarks reflect how much “irony and indifference” they have towards those who serve in the army, while the others exempt themselves from this duty.
Eisenkot called for ending this “dangerous trend”.
