"It was an error in judgment by the Hevron Police commander," Minister of Public Security Yitzchak Aharonovich said Monday regarding the issuing of an arrest warrant against Kiryat Arba's venerated Rabbi Dov Lior. Aharonovich said this in a phone conversation with MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh) of the National Union, who called him to protest the warrant. However, he also refused to say that the warrant would be rescinded.
It was not clear whether the error he referred to was the issuing of the warrant or the Hevron police commander's personal arrival at the Rabbi's home to inform him of the warrant against him.
The Head of the Bnei Akiva Yeshivas, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, called the arrest warrant "a scandal."
"If Rabbi Lior is arrested, they will have to prepare another cell for me," he said.
Rabbi Druckman said that he is adamantly opposed to the book "Torat HaMelech," but that he thinks that if the police want to find out Rabbi Lior's opinion about the book, they should come to the rabbi and ask him instead of issuing arrest warrants. Police want to question Rabbi Lior over his opinion in agreement with Torat HaMelech's interpretation of Jewish Law regarding the killing of non-Jews in war.
Rabbi Eliezer Valdman, Head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Kiryat Arba, took part in a protest of support outside Rabbi Lior's home, and said: "Wickedness should dissipate in order to elevate the dignity of the state."