Watchdog Group Demands Probe of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef for Incitement

The Movement for Quality of Government in Israel has formally requested that the Attorney General, the State Prosecutor, and senior police officials launch a criminal investigation or preliminary review into Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. The group alleges that remarks made by the rabbi against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara constitute incitement to violence.

During his weekly Torah lesson, Rabbi Yosef reportedly called Baharav-Miara "crazy" and prayed for her demise, stating, "God Almighty will destroy her and give her her punishment. She is meddling with Maran, Maran, a great leader of generations. This will not pass in silence."

These comments followed a legal opinion issued by Baharav-Miara concerning the public funding of a memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a prominent Sephardic rabbi and Yosef's father, during an election period. The Movement for Quality of Government argued that Yosef's public standing and the wide reach of his weekly lesson necessitate scrutiny of his statements.

The watchdog group contended that Yosef's remarks contribute to a hostile public atmosphere and repeated attacks against the Attorney General and senior public officials. They emphasized that as a spiritual and political leader with significant influence, whose lessons are widely broadcast, his words carry particular weight and could potentially incite violence, citing Section 144d2(a) of the Penal Law regarding incitement.

Yael Bloch, director of litigation at the Movement for Quality of Government, stated that while criticizing the Attorney General's decisions is permissible, transforming such criticism into potentially inciting statements is not. She added that this is not the first time Rabbi Yosef has allegedly used his position to attack the rule of law and its guardians, urging law enforcement to investigate the matter seriously and promptly.