A prominent rabbi from the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement issued a religious fatwa (halakhah) permitting the use of lethal force against leaders of Jewish parties who cooperate with Arab parties, according to what the Haaretz newspaper reported, recalling the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 31 years ago, while a group of former security and military leaders called for him to be investigated on charges of incitement to murder.
Rabbi Gedaliah Axelrod, who previously served as President of the Rabbinical Court in Haifa, issued a letter in which he said that the leaders of the Jewish parties who support the formation of a government that has the support of Arab parties fall under the heading of “Din Rodef.” That is, a person who poses a threat to the lives of others, and it is permissible to stop him by “any means.”
The “Arabs” won 19 out of a total of 120 seats in the Knesset. Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot said yesterday: “Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story.”
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot called for respect for the Arab minority, after caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other right-wing figures attacked Arab representatives in the Knesset by linking them to the Palestinian Hamas movement.
The two Arab lists, the unified and the joint, won 19 out of a total of 120 seats in the Knesset during last month’s elections, and are likely to play a decisive role in Eisenkot’s efforts to form a government.
Eisenkot said on the “X” platform: “The Arab citizens of Israel are an integral part of the Israeli story.”
He added, "The attempt to marginalize them and distort their reputation collectively is a blatant violation of the principles of civil responsibility, and is incompatible with Israel's Declaration of Independence and the values that we cherish as a Jewish and democratic state." Netanyahu and his allies repeatedly criticized Arab party leaders for refusing to describe the Hamas movement as a “terrorist,” following its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. All Arab party leaders condemned the attack. Arabs constitute about 20 percent of Israel's population. Netanyahu also accused Arab parties of committing electoral irregularities and fraud, but the Elections Commission cleared them of the accusations. In a speech he delivered during the opening of the new Knesset this week, Netanyahu expressed his regret at the refusal of the two Arab lists to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, even though the leader of the United Arab List, Mansour Abbas, had done so in the past. The caretaker prime minister also accused the Arab parties of seeking to establish an “Islamic state” or a “national Palestinian state.” During the same ceremony, the far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, interrupted Joint List leader Youssef Jabareen while he was being sworn in, accusing him of “loyalty to the (Hamas) movement.” Gadi Eisenkot said: “It is completely legitimate to disagree with representatives of Arab parties, and even to express strong opposition to some of them, but it is neither legitimate nor acceptable to offend an entire society, and I will not allow that.” On Sunday, President Isaac Herzog assigned Eisenkot to form a new government, following consultations in which the majority of political formations, including the two Arab lists, recommended that he undertake this task. But Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the “Israel Our Home” party and one of Eisenkot’s allies from the right, stated that he would withdraw from the coalition if Israeli Arabs were part of it. If Eisenkot fails to form a government within 28 days, he can request an extension for 14 days, and if he does not succeed during the extension as well, the task will move to another representative, most likely to be Netanyahu. Informed Israeli sources said that the fuse of the war on Iran was taken out of the hands of outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, albeit temporarily, after his meeting with Gadi Eisenkot, who is charged with forming the new government. She added that the two men agreed to wait for US President Donald Trump's decision and abide by it. The meeting between the two poles of Israeli politics, which lasted two hours on Thursday evening, ended with a brief joint statement. The statement said that Eisenkot was briefed on the security challenges facing Israel, in “the security briefing presented by the Prime Minister and his military secretary, Guy Marchesano.” He added, "It was agreed to continue exchanging information as needed." Informed political sources said that Netanyahu and Eisenkot agreed to reduce the tone of talk about the war. Because they both know that the decision is in the White House, and that Israel should not initiate a war alone. “White House Decision”
According to Kan 11 military correspondent Itai Blumenthal, Trump will visit China next week, and it is unlikely that he will associate his visit with an American, American-Israeli, or a separate Israeli war. He will continue to put pressure on Tehran at the present time with his contradictory political statements on the one hand, and with huge military build-ups on the ground on the other hand. Washington continues to transfer military equipment and resources to the region; It has about 200 refueling aircraft at its bases in the Middle East and Europe. For the first time since June, the aircraft carriers "George Washington" and "George Bush" are in the region. A third aircraft carrier, the Roosevelt, is scheduled to arrive in the Arabian Sea next week. In addition, there are thousands of American soldiers who operate systems, including air defense systems, at American bases in the region. Sources told Channel 12 that the US Central Command informed the Israeli army of the need to prepare for the possibility of resuming the war on Iran “soon.” But the Ynet website, affiliated with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, stated that officials in Israel do not currently believe that the negotiations between the United States and Iran have collapsed, despite Trump’s statements, and therefore the strike is still far away. The website quoted information in Israel’s possession that “the Iranians are sticking to their positions, and have not budged one bit from the conditions they set.” On the other hand, the Americans realize that there is no chance of reaching an agreement. He added, "Washington had to take an additional step so that, in the event of resorting to military action, it could say that it had done its utmost to reach an agreement." The website asked a question about what Trump will do: “Will he take the recommendation of US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent, one of the most prominent leaders of the economic pressure campaign on Iran, to continue the blockade, or will he move toward military action as US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Commander of US Central Command Brad Cooper recommend?”
In any case, the Israeli army is preparing for war, but it does not initiate it and is not interested in initiating it. Netanyahu's opponents accuse the prime minister of seeking it for personal purposes, as a tool to abort Eisenkot's efforts to form a government. “Conspiracy”
On Friday, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak published a strongly worded article against Netanyahu, in which he wrote: “Two and a half weeks ago, a provocative (Israeli) plane arrived at the Iranian border with the aim of causing a miscalculation in Tehran that would lead to war. Two days before the elections, a secret operation in Iran that would have ignited the war was foiled.” He added: “In both cases, the necessary legal procedures were not followed to approve any step that might lead to the outbreak of war, including the participation of the Chief of Staff and the Chief of Military Intelligence in the discussions and decision-making, the discussion in the cabinet, and the briefing of the opposition leader and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee in the Knesset.” He continued: “And now, also in the transitional government, there is a discussion with the participation of the Prime Minister in the closed subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. “I don’t have any specific information, but I can conclude between the lines.” He wrote: “Netanyahu strongly clings to the idea of carrying out a military provocation in Iran that would force the regime to respond with missiles at Israel, after which the path to war may become inevitable. This will lead to delaying the formation of the new government or ultimately causing it to fail, and that is the goal.” He added: “Netanyahu is ready to move even without Trump’s approval, especially if this move is in response to missiles directed at Israel. “Failing this conspiracy is very important.” He said: “As far as I know, there is no intelligence information indicating an urgent and vital need to act against Iran now, and not in a few weeks, when the elected government will seriously consider any action, even if it is large-scale, and through organized procedures.” Barak, who also served as Army Chief of Staff, asked: So what should we do? He replied: “Netanyahu, the ministers, and others must be frankly warned that they will bear the consequences of their actions if they act as described above. “The laws of ‘clearly illegal work’ are known to them.” He added: “It must be made clear that the new government will consider conducting a criminal investigation or forming an official investigation committee into this matter, and will demand results within 3 to 4 months. It is recommended that all concerned document their positions and retain this documentation.” He said: “I believe that such measures will make it difficult for Netanyahu to implement his ideas, make it easier for the participants in the discussions to clearly express their positions, and will reduce the possibility of this scenario being realized.”
