West Bank rabbis urge soldiers to refuse orders to dismantle illegal outposts


When West Bank rabbis urge Israeli soldiers to disobey orders from the government, we have something akin to soldiers refusing to serve in the West Bank, and this divisiveness is tantamount, if it were to take place in large numbers, to civil war. Without taking a stand on the issue of the West Bank and Gaza, I believe that these rabbis are putting an additional stress upon religious military people by presenting them with moral conflicts. We are all too familiar with the notion of refusing to Taking Orders From Above (ie, Nurenberg trials), but the channel in this instance is the religious voice claiming to speak for The Above.

The Council of Yesha Rabbis yesterday called on Israeli soldiers to refuse to participate in the evacuation of inhabited illegal outposts on moral grounds and for reason of conscience. The rabbis said the outposts were established as part of the Biblical command to settle Eretz Yisrael, and therefore it is forbidden to dismantle them. Settlers clashed with soldiers at one outpost scheduled to be dismantled, but said they would protest the action within the framework of the law.

An emergency meeting was held on Monday by rabbis representing the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlement in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The session took place at Havat Gilad, one of the outposts earmarked for evacuation. In a joint statement, signed by Rabbi Zalman Melamed, Rabbi Elyakim Lebanon, Rabbi Dov Lior, and Rabbi Daniel Shilo, the rabbis noted that Defense Ministry orders calling on soldiers to dismantle outposts take them away from security duties.

The rabbis' statement said:

1. Every outpost in Eretz Yisrael (the Biblical boundaries of the Jewish State) was established as part of the commandment to settle the Land, and therefore it is strictly forbidden to evacuate its residents.

2. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is the People's army, and its mission is to prevent terror and to defeat Israel's enemies.

3. It is forbidden for any party, including an Israeli government minister, to misuse his standing and order the IDF to dismantle outposts, thereby bringing about a public debate on the issue.

The rabbis called on the government to cancel the evacuation orders. They said that at a time of war, it was forbidden to take actions that would lead to an internal war as well.