MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) lashed out fiercely for a second time against the religious Zionists in an interview with Kikar Shabbat and claimed that the religious Zionists are the ones "leading the war" against the Torah learners.
"They are leading the war, the ones who constantly say, 'We also learn and we also have rabbis.' I don't tell them what to do, they shouldn't tell me what to do," Gafni stressed.
He declared: "This term is a divorce for the partnership with the religious Zionists. I'm not generalizing; many of them are close to us, and we are close to them."
Religious Zionist Party Chairman Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded on social media: "Gafni, shame on you. Now that you don't have the Finance Committee, I suggest you go visit bereaved families. Visit Mount Herzl (Military Cemetery). Travel to the Atzmona and Eli religious military preparatory academies. Go to the hesder yeshivas in Yeruham and Kiryat Shmona. Travel around the country to see the power of the spirit of heroism and Torah that you've never seen in your life."
Earlier in the day, Rabbi David Stav, Chair of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, harshly rejected the criticisms voiced by Gafni: “Political powerbrokers show up and start making up halachot that are nowhere to be found in the Torah. There is no exemption in the Torah that allows yeshiva students to be absolved from serving in defense of the Jewish homeland, and there is certainly no exemption from the commandment to 'not stand idly by as your fellow man bleeds.' When your fellow Jew is in danger, you have no right to stand aside.”
Rabbi Stav urged members of the Religious Zionist community to avoid being intimidated by the haredi criticisms, saying, “Don’t be ashamed by those who stoop to insults, and from those powerbrokers that have no real connection to Torah values and fear of God but are only driven by a quest for power, control, and dominance. We will continue on our path of the traditions laid by our forefathers, the path of love and respect for one another, the Torah, and the land of Israel.”