News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Rabbi Zalman Melamed, the rabbi of Beit El, confirmed recently in an interview with the “Eretz Yisrael Shelanu” (“Our Land of Israel”) weekly pamphlet that he believes soldiers should refuse orders to throw Jews out of their homes or destroy Jewish communities.  Rabbi Melamed rejected claims that refusing orders would weaken the army, and said that on the contrary, refusing expulsion orders would strengthen the army.

The army must act according to values, and not only orders, Rabbi Melamed said.  By expelling Jews from Gush Katif, the army ignored its core mission of protecting the Jewish people, and thus damaged itself, he said. 

Rabbi Melamed expressed confidence that the IDF would not take part in the destruction of Jewish towns in the future.  Public opinion has changed since the expulsion of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria, he said, and many soldiers and even high-ranking officers are determined to refuse orders if they are told to expel Jews from their homes.