A slide presented in a Thursday lecture at the University of Haifa for IDF officers was entitled: "What Hamas and Religious Zionism have in common."
The Torat Lehima organization commented: "Don't expect condemnation from the Ministry of Defense, from Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, or from Defense Minister [Yoav] Gallant. A comparison between tens of thousands of religious fighters and officers and a terrorist organization is not as serious and despicable as a video against resistance."
Member of Knesset Tally Gotliv (Likud) commented: "I want to vomit! Remember the Deep State that infiltrated the senior ranks of the IDF? Remember the IDF spokesman who railed against me? Here is the full and disgusting academic content that was delivered today at the University of Haifa to the officers' course, where they teach a comparison between Hamas and religious Zionism! The brainwashing of senior officers is alarming and infuriating. And the IDF should check itself before it blames me."
Journalist Caroline Glick commented: "Now it is possible to understand why the IDF spokesman bases his messages on PA propaganda. This is the IDF's policy to see the best of our sons as an enemy. 30 years after Oslo corrupted the General Staff morally - and in many cases financially - we must reform the top of the defense echelon."
An internet user commented: "When you educate the officers that there is symmetry between Religious Zionism and Hamas, then you get Yair Golan who goes to alternative memorial ceremonies and dreams of a state with all its terrorists. I hope that the officers understand that this is just a presentation and that the lecturer is a common leftist."
IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari commented: "This is a serious comparison that has no place in the IDF. The slide was presented in a master's degree course at the University of Haifa, where an officers course also studies. We contacted the university following the slide, which presents content that is inconsistent with the values of the IDF, and an investigation will be conducted on the matter."
The University of Haifa stated: "From an immediate inquiry conducted by the university, it appears that the slide in question was presented in a course that mostly dealt with Islamic religious movements. The slide, which was presented at the end of the class, presented existing positions that are heard in the public discourse and its purpose was to provoke a discussion to deal with arguments concerning comparisons of this type. The slide in question , one of 33 slides presented in the class, does not in any way represent the lecturer's position, but seeks to give tools to IDF commanders to deal with controversial claims."