MK Yinon Azoulay (Shas) issued a strong condemnation of Sunday’s violence in the streets of Bnei Brak, making it clear: "These people are not from our camp. All the great rabbis of the generation denounce such behavior."
"It's a day I would be ashamed to even speak, because there are no words," Azoulay said in an interview with Kol Chai radio. "There is no Torah opinion that says to hit a person - male soldier, female soldier, it doesn't matter. A person comes to do his job. This is a serious desecration of God’s name."
Azoulay blamed extremist elements for inciting internal divisions. "There are those who sow this fear within us. These instigators are partners with people who are not even part of the Haredi community."
He stated that the targeted recordings of rabbis and their use for political purposes contribute to the escalation.
Azoulay distinguished between protest and violence. "Protesting is perfectly fine. But there is no permission to hit another person. Attacking drivers, police officers, or innocent civilians - that is crossing a red line."
He revealed that his son was attacked by members of the extreme faction in Ashdod and pointed to an educational problem: "When a young man leaves a police station and they are dancing in front of him - these are people who should be condemned."
Alongside the condemnation, Azoulay called for differentiation in law enforcement: "Don’t arrest innocent people - elderly, women, passersby. But those who hit and set fires - arrest them and put them in jail."
"My greatest pain is the desecration of God’s name," he concluded.