Sephardic Chief Rabbi Slams Gadi Eisenkot Over Past Military Decision

The Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, launched a sharp verbal attack on Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashat!" party, warning against a potential government led by him. Speaking at a conference in Ashdod on Thursday, Rabbi Yosef criticized Eisenkot's past decisions as IDF Chief of Staff, particularly the controversial directive allowing male and female soldiers to serve together in tanks.

Rabbi Yosef recounted an incident from his time as Chief Rabbi when he approached Eisenkot regarding this matter. "I explained to him the gravity of the issue, and he didn't even answer me," Yosef stated, questioning Eisenkot's respect and suitability for leadership. He accused Eisenkot of secularizing the army, asking, "Can he be trusted?"

This strong condemnation comes just two months after Rabbi Yosef made seemingly contradictory public statements. At that time, he suggested that Eisenkot, unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, might "return to the path of repentance" and even indicated a potential willingness to support Eisenkot for prime minister in a closed-door conversation, describing him as a "good man" who loves Torah scholars. However, the Chief Rabbi's office later issued a denial, calling the report of his support "completely denied" and lamenting the alleged distortion of his words.