Gedalia Axelrod, a prominent cleric in the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, issued a religious decree applying "din rodef" to Jewish politicians who collaborate with or rely on Arab factions. In response, Chabad leadership firmly disavowed the ruling, clarifying through spokesman Rabbi Shimi Segal that Axelrod holds no official leadership role or court seat in the movement. The decree has triggered serious political concern during a sensitive post-election transition period. Consequently, left-wing Joint List lawmaker Ofer Cassif has formally petitioned State Prosecutor Amit Isman to open a criminal investigation into the remarks.
Key points
Halakhic rulings that endorse violence against elected officials are facing urgent demand…: Halakhic rulings that endorse violence against elected officials are facing urgent demands for legal intervention and criminal accountability.
Chabad-Lubavitch leaders are actively striving to isolate Axelrod by characterizing his s…: Chabad-Lubavitch leaders are actively striving to isolate Axelrod by characterizing his severe theological decrees as entirely personal views.
Political figures caution that extremist decrees pose heightened dangers to lawmakers nav…: Political figures caution that extremist decrees pose heightened dangers to lawmakers navigating a volatile post-election transition period.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
A senior Chabad rabbi has been criticised by his own movement after he said it was permissable to kill Jewish Israeli politicians who worked with Arabs.
Gedalia Axelrod, a senior cleric in the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, issued a halakhic ruling earlier this week in which he said that Jewish politicians who form a government backed by Palestinian citizens of Israel were "din rodef," which roughly translates as "law of the pursuer."
Under Jewish religious law, a rodef is someone who poses a threat to another person's life and may be stopped by any means necessary.
The doctrine was previously invoked by Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin, Yigal Amir, to justify the prime minister’s killing in 1995.
Axelrod wrote that collaboration with Arab parties "poses a terrible danger to the people of Israel in the Holy Land and around the world".
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