Has Israel moved to the stage of full implementation of the provisions of Jewish law? What danger does the Israeli government pose by applying these provisions to the lives of members of other sects and minorities and their worship and political rights?
This question – the old and the new – was raised again after the families of the Israeli occupation soldiers asked their children to lay down their arms and flee the Gaza war after the ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) were exempted from conscription based on Jewish law, which “terrorizes” them and devotes them to religious-theological activities.
The Israeli Parliament (the Knesset) had approved a law exempting religious Jews from conscription. Religious Jews constitute about 15% of the number of settlers, and they say that they devote their lives to studying the Torah.
The Knesset’s approval of the law came despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded 5 years ago to some extremist ministers who demanded the adoption of Jewish law by saying that “Israel will not become a state that operates in accordance with Jewish law.”
Analysts raised a question regarding what Netanyahu could call his incitement of his army soldiers to commit crimes in Gaza based on verses from the Torah (the Old Testament), the holy book of the Jews, which Christians also believe in.
Analysts also wondered why Israel needs the support of an American Jewish organization such as AIPAC, which is one of the strongest lobbying groups working for the ongoing American support program for Israel.
For his part, Palestinian priest Munther Ishaq explained that Christian Zionists are much more numerous than their Jewish colleagues, and said that Christian Zionism as a thought and ideology is older than Jewish Zionism, indicating that support among Christian Zionists for Israel is greater than support for “white Christians.”