Right-Wing Podcast Host Sparks Outrage With Comments on Soldier Deaths

Tamir Dortal, a lawyer and host of the right-wing podcast "Al HaMashma'ut" (On the Meaning), has ignited controversy with remarks made on Thursday. In a segment of the podcast, Dortal stated that even if Israeli soldiers were to die in a violent confrontation with Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria, it would be a positive outcome.

Dortal posed a hypothetical question to Rabbi בני לאו (Beni Lau) during the podcast: "If the sovereign Jewish people decides to carry out ethnic cleansing of Jews in Judea and Samaria, is it good or bad if it is prevented by force and bloodshed?" Rabbi Lau responded unequivocally, "It is bad."

Dortal then countered, "I think it is good. Even if IDF soldiers die in this event, and 20 or 100 times more settlers die, but in the end, this event is prevented and the Land of Israel remains in our hands, it is good." Rabbi Lau distanced himself from Dortal's statement, calling it a point of contention between them.

Dortal, known for his right-wing political alignment, has previously hosted prominent political figures on his podcast, including Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman, and former Ambassador and Minister Gilad Erdan.

Following the backlash, Dortal issued a statement attempting to clarify his remarks without retracting the core sentiment. He described the circulated clip as a short excerpt from an extended discussion involving an extreme hypothetical thought experiment: what should be done if the Israeli government decided to forcibly evacuate all Jews from Judea and Samaria. Dortal asserted that his exchange with Rabbi Lau was a moral question within a debate, not a call to action, and certainly not a call to harm IDF soldiers. He emphasized his position that a state does not possess unlimited moral authority simply because a decision is made into law, and that a complete withdrawal from Judea and Samaria could pose a severe danger to Israel. He argued that the debate was about whether the government's decision negates any right to resist, even in extreme scenarios, and that his stance was not a call to harm soldiers, especially given his decades of service as an IDF officer.