Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat (Safed), has warned the anti-Netanyahu parties against forming a government reliant on the Knesset's Arab parties.
In a video message, Rabbi Eliyahu directly addressed opposition bloc leaders Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, and Avigdor Liberman, warning that such a move would constitute a "moral injustice" and undermine the Jewish identity of the State of Israel.
At the beginning of his remarks, Rabbi Eliyahu reminded the three politicians of their pre-election commitments not to form a government dependent on the Arab parties.
Noting how Arabs sang, "Biladi Biladi," on election night, he stressed, "They are the ones who sang 'Biladi Biladi' on election night, a song that speaks about jihad, about massacring Jews, about killing and death, about expelling us from the Land of Israel."
"That's the song. Read its lyrics. That's what they sang on election night. That's their dream."
Rabbi Eliyahu continued, "Form a government with them? Give them control over budgets? Make them Health Minister, Defense Minister, Finance Minister - what?"
"They are pressuring you now to form a government with them. Forming a government with them means dismantling the Jewish identity of the state and disregarding the Jewish majority in the country," he said.
Concluding his remarks, he emphasized, "You should know that, from our perspective, this is a moral injustice." Rabbi Eliyahu also added that he would not consider such a government legitimate, even if it were established through lawful procedures.