Democrat Candidate Yaya Fink Misfires in Criticism of Minister Eliyahu

Yaya Fink, a candidate for the Democratic Party, drew criticism on Wednesday after mistakenly attributing a controversial statement to Minister Amichai Eliyahu. Fink shared a cartoon depicting a recruitment officer asking potential soldiers if they were 'Kaplanists or Kahaneists,' implying a political litmus test for military service. Fink incorrectly stated that the plan belonged to Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, a former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and the current minister's grandfather, who passed away 16 years ago. The minister, Amichai Eliyahu, had actually spoken about the need to avoid conscripting individuals who had called for draft refusal and threatened not to report for reserve duty, particularly in light of protests at Kaplan Street, a prominent protest site in Tel Aviv. Minister Eliyahu clarified his remarks, stating he understood the meaning of military service and defense of the country, and that his comments were directed at a small, extremist group that had called for refusal to serve and undermined trust within Israeli society before the October 7th attacks. He emphasized that he was not speaking about all protesters. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions surrounding military service and political dissent in Israel.