The reason for the protest: He publicized the IDF Rabbinate's position in favor of carrying out orders connected with the disengagement/transfer/expulsion plan.
Noam Livnat, a brother of Education Minister Limor Livnat, explained to Arutz-7 why he participated in the event: "When an 'army rabbi' feels that he is more 'army' than 'rabbi,' we will protest against him."
Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane noted, however, that there are differing rabbinic opinions on the issue of the disengagement plan. Livnat responded, "To expel Jews from their homes and to give the land to our enemies? I don't know of 'various rabbinic opinions' that permit this. In any event, the teachers of these army rabbis themselves - Rabbi Shapira, and many others in the religious-Zionist camp, and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef as well – are clearly opposed. Rabbis Weiss and Vizner are aware of the catastrophic nature of this plan, and themselves object to it. They say that they wrestle daily with the problems involved, and how difficult it is, etc. But when it comes to making their practical decision, they say that soldiers should not listen to their own rabbis; this cannot be!"
Kahane: "Are you not concerned that you're taking a public matter and bringing it to the door of the rabbi's private home and family?"
Livnat: "What I'm concerned about is that he's taking a public matter and bringing it to the doors of thousands of citizens of Gush Katif and northern Shomron. Then, like dominoes, it will continue to all the other Jewish communities in Yesha – the one in which I live, and the one from where Arutz-7 broadcasts, and even the one in which Rabbi Vizner himself lives [Mitzpeh Yericho]. Some people from his own community joined in our protest against him. ... We can't hide behind some kind of curtain and say, 'I don't know what’s going on, I see nothing, I hear nothing.' We have to stop it."
Livnat said that though he does not want to protest against politicians, "If we hear of an army officer who has a certain job to do in the disengagement, we will try to convince him not to. If that doesn't work, we will put pressure on him... Look, in the end, I am confident that in the end, there will be no disengagement; there are many reasons to think so, but I won't list them in this interview. But it's our job to act, and 'those who act with G-d will come and receive their reward.' We're not coming just to protest or to impede; we're doing what we can to make sure it won't happen at all."
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel has called for IDF Chief Rabbi Weiss to resign over this issue.
Noam Livnat, a brother of Education Minister Limor Livnat, explained to Arutz-7 why he participated in the event: "When an 'army rabbi' feels that he is more 'army' than 'rabbi,' we will protest against him."
Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane noted, however, that there are differing rabbinic opinions on the issue of the disengagement plan. Livnat responded, "To expel Jews from their homes and to give the land to our enemies? I don't know of 'various rabbinic opinions' that permit this. In any event, the teachers of these army rabbis themselves - Rabbi Shapira, and many others in the religious-Zionist camp, and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef as well – are clearly opposed. Rabbis Weiss and Vizner are aware of the catastrophic nature of this plan, and themselves object to it. They say that they wrestle daily with the problems involved, and how difficult it is, etc. But when it comes to making their practical decision, they say that soldiers should not listen to their own rabbis; this cannot be!"
Kahane: "Are you not concerned that you're taking a public matter and bringing it to the door of the rabbi's private home and family?"
Livnat: "What I'm concerned about is that he's taking a public matter and bringing it to the doors of thousands of citizens of Gush Katif and northern Shomron. Then, like dominoes, it will continue to all the other Jewish communities in Yesha – the one in which I live, and the one from where Arutz-7 broadcasts, and even the one in which Rabbi Vizner himself lives [Mitzpeh Yericho]. Some people from his own community joined in our protest against him. ... We can't hide behind some kind of curtain and say, 'I don't know what’s going on, I see nothing, I hear nothing.' We have to stop it."
Livnat said that though he does not want to protest against politicians, "If we hear of an army officer who has a certain job to do in the disengagement, we will try to convince him not to. If that doesn't work, we will put pressure on him... Look, in the end, I am confident that in the end, there will be no disengagement; there are many reasons to think so, but I won't list them in this interview. But it's our job to act, and 'those who act with G-d will come and receive their reward.' We're not coming just to protest or to impede; we're doing what we can to make sure it won't happen at all."
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel has called for IDF Chief Rabbi Weiss to resign over this issue.