Religious Zionist Rabbis Condemn Arrests of Yeshiva Students and Call for Peaceful Dialogue

Senior rabbis from the Religious Zionist sector have issued a strong letter titled "Not by Force nor by Might," opposing the use of arrests and harsh measures against yeshiva students amid the ongoing debate over their military conscription. The letter, signed by prominent rabbis including Yaakov Ariel, Elazar Agra, Eitan Eiseman, Shmuel Eliyahu, Yosef Artzi'el, Moshe Gantz, Mordechai Greenberg, David Hai Cohen, Michael Hershkovitz, Uri Cohen, Elikim Levanon, Yehoshua Magnes, Zalman Baruch Melamed, Mordechai Nagari, Yaakov Filber, Isser Klonsky, Chaim Steiner, Yaakov Shapira, and David Turgeman, expresses firm opposition to the government's enforcement tactics.

Although the letter does not explicitly name public officials, it clearly criticizes Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who recently took a hard stance against proposals to freeze arrests of yeshiva students and has advocated for strict legal sanctions and detentions. The rabbis argue that such forceful actions deepen societal divisions and mistrust, ultimately hindering rather than helping military recruitment.

In addition to condemning the arrests, the rabbis call for calming tensions and strongly denounce violent protests occurring in the streets. They urge all parties to avoid actions that harm the public and obstruct reconciliation, emphasizing that any form of violence, including verbal, exacerbates the crisis and blocks constructive solutions.

The letter concludes with a call for respectful and substantive dialogue as the only practical path to resolving the issue, highlighting the need for peaceful engagement over coercion.