The heads of the Hesder Yeshivas Federation met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak in his bureau Tuesday evening to discuss the recommendation by the IDF Chief of Staff to stop working with Har Bracha Yeshiva. Central Command head Maj-Gen Avi Mizrachi said last week that the IDF cannot work with the yeshiva because its head, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, supports soldiers' conscientious refusal to obey orders to expel residents of Jewish communities.
The head of the Petach Tikva Hesder Yeshiva, Rabbi David Stav, who took part in the meeting, told Arutz Sheva afterward that it was conducted in a positive and pleasant atmosphere.
Rabbi Stav said that while the hesder yeshiva heads made it clear that they denounce demonstrations within the army, they will stand up for the right of a yeshiva head to express his views.
Tensions between the IDF's top brass and yeshivas in Judea and Samaria peaked after several incidents in which on-duty soldiers protested against the use of the military for evicting Jews from “outposts.”
He added that Barak asked them questions about the “goings on” at Har Bracha Yeshiva and read out some passages from Rabbi Melamed's book, Revivim. Barak summed matters up by saying that he wishes to speak to Rabbi Melamed personally and hear his opinion on several additional matters, and only afterward will he decide how to act in the matter of the Chief of Staff's recommendation.