Rabbi Moshe Maya, a senior Shas movement rabbi and a member of the party's Council of Torah Sages, on Wednesday addressed the protests over the arrest of haredi draft evaders, expressing principled opposition to blocking roads.
In his opinion, demonstrators should avoid disrupting the public's daily life.
"Personally, I do not approve of blocking roads. People are stuck in traffic for two hours - who will give them that time back? That is the worst kind of theft. The current vehicle protest is the right approach: they do not block roads, they drive slowly on the side and make their message known peacefully," he said.
At the same time, Rabbi Maya stressed that there is an obligation to protest the arrests of haredi draft evaders. He also said he "wakes up in the middle of the night worried that perhaps the haredi community is not protesting enough."
During the interview, Rabbi Maya revealed details of discussions he held with senior defense officials regarding the establishment of dedicated military frameworks for haredim, including the Hashmonaim Brigade. According to him, military officials asked him to offer public support for the initiative, but he conditioned his backing on the arrangements being formally anchored in IDF General Staff directives and placed under the supervision of rabbis with recognized authority in the field.
Those conditions were ultimately rejected by the General Staff, he added.
"The deputy head of the IDF Personnel Directorate supported my approach, but the General Staff decided to reject it and refused under any circumstances to accept that condition," he said.
Rabbi Maya further argued that, because the talks failed, it is currently forbidden for young haredi men - including those who are not studying in yeshivas - to enlist in the IDF.
"So long as we do not have the Messiah, it is forbidden to enlist," he said. "Young men should listen to the lawyers who are advising them and should not fear the Military Police."